Uncertainty
by misanagy
Summary: After "Desecrated", the merry band continues the search for the Stone of Tears, but along the way other things will be discovered and new people will appear in their lives.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The day started normal enough. She woke up at first light to the sound of Richard's boots shuffling next to her head while he passed by her bedroll. She got up, adjusted her agiels, and went in the forest, "I'll be right back" she said to Richard without turning back.

"Alright, I'll wake up the others, we should get going soon." He said with that boyish grin she was used to by now.

She didn't know exactly were she was going, she just needed a little time to herself, after what happened yesterday she needed to put herself together. She clutches her agiels, letting the familiar pain curse through her. Yesterday something changed, or better yet, she noticed something might be changing in her. It possibly started changing before, but being who she is, acknowledging that was unthinkable. She knew anger, she knew pride, knew loyalty and duty. But there is something new, a throbbing _feeling_ in her chest that she can't identify. She just fells it, almost taunting her, and not knowing what it is unnerves her more than she cares to admit.

When she and Kahlan were trapped in that awful tomb, she actually thought they weren't going to make it alive. The Mord'Sith went to the extreme of trying to end her life to increase the chances of saving the Mother Confessor's. _Stubborn woman had to prevent me_, she thought rolling her eyes at the memory, _at least we had a good work out_, she smirked a little as she remembered the fight between them. Plus, she also admitted that she cared about the Confessor, considered her…a _friend_. Cara never saw herself performing any of those acts, either trying to save a Confessor, her once sworn enemy, and least of all disclosing her friendliness towards that same woman. She shook her head, effectively dispersing those thoughts, and made her way back to camp. Noticing that she was carrying something, Cara looked down and was surprised to see berries in her hands. She must likely picked tem up absentmindedly. _I don't like berries that much… but Kahlan loves these things, I might as well take them to her_. Shrugging her shoulders she went on her way.

At the camp Zedd was biting on a piece of dried lamb in a satisfactory manner. Richard was smiling at is grandfather and his obvious enjoyment of the food. Kahlan wasn't there, and Cara took the opportunity to leave the berries on the Mother Confessor's bedroll without the other two noticing.

"There you are Cara, Kahlan went to wash up, you should eat something before we leave." Richard suggested.

"I'm not hungry." Cara answered. "But I see some of us maintain their appetite." She added looking at the wizard with a raised brow.

"I'll have you know the breakfast is the most important meal of the day. With the distance we cover every day I have to recharge my strength." Zedd defended himself after the Mord'Sith's sarcastic comment.

"We would cover a lot more ground if we didn't stop at every town to save the poor little children of Sprits knows what." The blond retorted without missing a beat, fixing both men with her stare. She couldn't understand how finding that _pebble_ was so important and _yet_ Richard would stop constantly along their journey to help every one of the damsels in distress.

Richard just smiled shaking his head, he was aware of what Cara thought about his decisions to stop their quest for the Stone of Tears and help people in need, but he also knew that in spite of all her comments Cara always helped the towns people right along with him, Zedd and Kahlan. And by now he suspected that she didn't do it just because he, _her Lord Rahl_, told her to. He believed part of her wanted to help those people, he believed she changed and that she wasn't the monster others, and sometimes even herself, saw in her.

"The Seeker must go where his help is needed, and every day that passes we are closer to finding the stone. I believe in Richard's abilities to fulfill his mission." Zedd said proudly, getting up and squeezing his grandson's shoulder encouragingly. Richard smiled his thanks to the wizard and Cara just rolled her eyes at the scene and his words.

"I see you guys are having a good time." Kahlan said, entering the camp and smiling at the banter between her travelling companions. Of course she knew Cara wasn't joking, the blond often complained about Richard's habit of taking time off the quest to lend a helpful hand everywhere. But then again, she always helped too, and she was complaining less and less every time. She could be getting used to it, but Kahlan suspected the fierce blond had a well hidden desire to help, as well as she and the two men did. She just didn't know it yet.

"Cara started it." Richard said grinning at Kahlan and looking at Cara from the corner of his eye. The Mord'Sith turned her head slowly in his direction with a raised eyebrow, huffed and went to put away all her stuff in order to get going.

Kahlan walked to her bedding, with the intention of packing it, and found a handful of berries nestled carefully on top. She picked them up and turned to Richard. "Thank you Richard, you remembered that I love these." She said with a little smile.

"What?" Richard asked while looking at Kahlan's hand. After he recognized the berries he responded "Oh, it wasn't me. I didn't left the camp. But Cara did… maybe you should ask her." Richard said with a furrowed brow that showed his confusion. _Cara picking up berries?_

"Cara?" Kahlan said pleasantly surprised "I'll ask her." The confessor said looking in Cara's direction. The proud Mord'Sith was standing with a tilted hip looking at the horizon, one hand resting on the agiel at her waist. The blond was quite since the day before. Kahlan hoped that all the things Cara said to her in that tomb would be acknowledged outside of it too, but not so surprisingly, on their way out of town Cara just shrugged it off claiming that it was the lack of air making her delusional. The Confessor was equally amused and exasperated with this answer. She was certain Cara meant every word, after all the D'haran woman always spoke what was on her mind, with no care for how her words affected others. But those words were never related to her feelings, and the fact that Cara said out loud that she considered her, _a Confessor_, a _friend_… That was something Kahlan never anticipated and somehow she was longing to ear.

Things got off on a rocky start between the Confessor and the Mord'Sith, but after forcibly spending time together on the road and especially after Stowcroft, when the Mother Confessor looked deep into the Mord'Sith's eyes and saw the remorse in them, she started seeing the blond in another light. She stopped seeing just a Mord'Sith to start seeing _Cara_, her friend. _Friend_…Cara was more than that; she was _always_ there to watch her back silently. In the middle of battle, despite the chaos surrounding her, she felt safe at all times. It was when Richard left to the Palace of Prophets and Zedd was kidnapped by Denna that Kahlan found herself in the midst of a battle and still felt like she was protected, that the feeling of safety was there stronger like all the other times. She realized then that Cara was the reason for that, the blond was the one that transmitted her that sense of security. Could you call that just a simple friendship? Or was their connection stronger than that? She didn't know, what she _did_ know is that their relationship was changing, they formed a bond that was stronger every day. Whatever it was, she was glad that they shifted from being Mother Confessor and Mord'Sith to being Kahlan and Cara.

Kahlan approached Cara with some hesitation, the blond looked deep in though. "Cara, thank you for the berries," she smiled looking in the blonde's eyes to emphasize her words. "I actually thought it was Richard, but he told me it wasn't him so I assumed…"

"You assumed right," Cara interrupted her "It's not like the wizard would let go of his food to do anything." She said dryly, returning her gaze to the see of trees visible from small hill where they were standing.

Kahlan chuckled. "You're right, the first thing Zedd will do after wake up is eat, and nothing can interrupt that." She looked back at the man in question who was still latching onto his food with gusto.

"Do you want some?" Kahlan asked after a second.

"Excuse me?" Cara's head snapped to look at Kahlan with eyes slightly widened and lips parted in anticipation of the answer.

"Berries. Do you want some berries?" Kahlan asked again thrusting her hand full of berries to the blond. _That was strange, there's definitely something bothering her. _

"Oh, no, I'm not really hungry," said Cara while her face turned to her normal stoic self. _Spirits, what is wrong with me? Why would she mean anything other than the stupid berries._

"You should eat something before we leave, just one of the little ones?" The Mother Confessor selected one of the smaller berries and picked it up between her thumb and forefinger. She extended her hand Cara's way and offered it to the blonde. The brunette looked at Cara with a playful smile and a glint of mirth in her eyes, waiting for the Mord'Sith's reaction.

Cara glanced at Kahlan and saw that spark in the brunettes eyes that made her chest constrict with that odd sensation. That kind of interaction between them was recent; if someone told Cara months ago that she would be trading witty comments instead of blows with a Confessor she would stick her agiel in the moron's mouth for saying something so stupid. But now it was something that was becoming common and natural to her.

"You're just offering me one of the smallest because you like them too much and don't really want to share, not because you want me to eat." she replied whit a smirk on her full lips.

"That is not true! I'm just looking out for you Cara." was Kahlan's come back feigning hurt by Cara's accusation. Despite her fake offended look the smile never left her face, it almost seemed that it shone brighter.

Cara turned in her direction with the hands on her hips and arched her eyebrows looking disbelievingly at Kahaln. "Alright, maybe I like them a little too much and want to eat them all" Kahlan said. At this Cara nodded her head and gave her a look that showed her the blonde knew she was right, "but the offer still stands, I don't mind sharing with you." Kahlan offered the berry to Cara again. She laughed at the unconvinced look on the blonde's face.

Cara looked first at the tiny berry posing as a gift on the brunette's fingers, then she looked at the Confessor, and without taking her eyes of Kahlan's she leaned in and took the berry from the Mother Confessor's fingers using her teeth and slightly resting her plump lips on Kahlan's fingers. "I guess berries are not that bad." she stated slowly while chewing on the said berry.

Kahlan blinked and felt her cheeks warm. _Why do I keep feeling this vertigo in my stomach every time she does something like this? She's just being Cara, she can't help herself and doesn't really mean nothing by it. Right? _Kahlan cleared her throat discreetly before replying "They're very good. How do you know I like them?" She asked to clear the small tension that surged since Cara took the tiny berry.

Cara noticed the Mother Confessor's flushed cheeks and the second to long Kahlan's gaze stayed on her lips but chose not to bring it up. "Before Zedd started to mistake my name and forget things, when he was going on an on about persimmons being the pinnacle of creation you said you preferred berries." Cara told Kahlan as if it was something that happened a couple of days ago.

"You remember I mentioned that?" Kahlan was surprised to say the least and it showed on her face, she looked at Cara with wide eyes and an expression of astonishment.

"The fact that I'm telling you this implies that I _do_ remember it." Cara stated matter-of-factly.

"Yes, it does." Kahlan chuckled. "I just never thought you would pay any attention to it." She said quietly. _Most of the time she looks like she's not even hearing half the things I say and then she notices details like these. You don't cease to surprise Cara._ Kahlan thought with a private smile.

"You like to talk Kahlan, I have no choice but to listen." Cara responded trying to lighten the conversation and not making a big deal out of her tendency to commit to memory every detail about the fascinating woman that was Kahlan Amnel.

"Well thank you for listening anyway and for these berries." Kahlan thanked the blonde with a kind smile gracing her lips. She understood Cara's hint, the Mord'Sith didn't like to talk about this kind of things, and she didn't like to show she cared. But Kahlan could see it in every gesture, Cara said more through actions them through words, and that somehow made it even more meaningful.

Cara nodded with a hint of a smile on her lips and warmth in her eyes that was making an appearance once in a while, when they had these conversations, just the two of them.

"Are you girls ready to go?" Richard called to them ending the moment. Both girls looked back at him and Kahlan confirmed to the Seeker that they were ready.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It was almost sunset, they had been walking all day long with just a quick stop for the midday meal. For all that time Kahlan was lost in thought, analyzing her relationship with Richard. Something was different. The fluttering of her heart when he would look at her and smile wasn't there anymore. The daydreams about their life together, that were a constant on her mind, diminished with time. The need she felt to be close to him, even if just walking alongside each other, wasn't there anymore. Kahlan looked to her left, a step behind her, and there was Cara. Now she often found herself seeking the blonde's quiet company instead of Richard's babbling one. Lately she liked to walk beside the Mord'Sith. It felt natural; felt right.

She's noticing that the love she felt towards Richard, that fairytale feeling, disappeared. Richard is a good man. He is courageous and faithful to his beliefs. He loves her with all he has and is certain that they will be together forever… but Kahlan isn't so sure anymore. That future doesn't seem true anymore. And that scared her. She was supposed to be in love with him, to marry him, make him her mate and have sweet children that will ensure the continuation of the line of Confessors. But her heart wasn't in it like it used to be. She loved Richard… she just wasn't _in love_ with him anymore.

"Are you ok?" She heard a deep and concerned voice from her left.

Kahlan blinked, shaking her head to disperse the worrying thoughts, and gave a weary smile to the blonde. "Yes, I was just thinking about some things," she said.

Cara hesitated. Asking about another's well-being wasn't in her nature. She might ask about it after a fight to see if everyone was in one piece, but she never had any interest whatsoever in the emotional state of those around her. But where it came to Kahlan her nature tended to shift into something new; not entirely different, but maybe a bit more… _protective_; making her do things that she would never think about doing if it was anyone else. So, it was with hesitation in her voice that she asked "Something I can help with?" She didn't look at Kahlan.

"Right now I don't think there's anything you can do," she told Cara, with a pensive expression that let the blonde imagine the thoughts still spinning in the Mother Confessor's mind. "Thanks for offering though, it means a lot to me that you're concerned about me." She touched the Mord'Sith's forearm in a grateful gesture and the smile that appeared on her lips lit her entire face.

Cara felt exposed, noticing that her behavior with the Confessor was becoming more…_caring_? She was confused about what it could mean, so to avoid the awkwardness she felt, she did what she always did; what was in her nature. She shrugged off Kahlan's hand, saying "I just asked because you were unnerving me with your brooding." Exactly like she did after they got out of the tomb, Cara used her acerbic remarks to hide her insecurities about her feelings.

She felt something else when she saw Khalan's slightly hurt look at her response…regret. _Spirits, here I go again._ She sighed and said, "But if you need anything…" she trailed off, hoping Kahlan understood what she meant - that she would always be there, ready to do anything for Kahlan.

The Mother Confessor's hurt look disappeared instantly and a wide grin painted her beautiful features. "I know where to find you," she said softly.

They stopped for the night and started to make camp. The place of choice was a fairly large space between the trees, at a reasonable distance from the road they were following. Richard busied himself making a fire, looking dejectedly at his grandfather after the wizard refused to light the stock of wood with his wizard's fire.

"You don't need magic to do a mundane task like that my boy, you're perfectly capable of starting a fire on your own," Zedd said, looking like he was lecturing his grandson.

"And since I _heard your use of magic fire to catch rabbits is disastrous," Cara said referring to the wizard, "I'm off to hunt our dinner." She turned and _walked in the direction of the woods.

"Wait, I'll go with you," Kahlan said hurriedly and got up from her seat at a nearby rock, halting Cara's steps.

"Yes, good idea, because rabbits are attracted to noise," Cara sarcastically replied, turning around to pointedly stare at Kahlan.

Zedd chuckled at that remark and Richard laughed while looking between the Mord'Sith and the Mother Confessor.

"I know how to walk through the woods and be perfectly quiet," Kahlan said, with a serious look that showed her indignation at the Mord'Sith's words. "Maybe you should learn a thing or two from me," she finished with a smirk of victory.

"I don't think so," was Cara's nonchalant reply, accompanied by a quick shake of her head.

"I'll show you then," the Mother Confessor said and walked past Cara into the woods. "What are you waiting for?" she asked over her shoulder.

"For you to trip on a root and hit your head on a rock, thus allowing me to hunt in peace," Cara shot at the Mother Confessor with a tiny squint of her eyes and a wicked smirk.

"Oh, how nice of you," Kahlan replied without missing a second, wearing an unimpressed expression. "But that's not going to happen, so let's go."

Cara just rolled her eyes and followed the Confessor into the woods, hearing Richard's chuckle and Zedd's snort behind her.

Cara found a rabbit's trail and followed it until she was kneeling with an arrow, ready to strike the unsuspecting white animal. Just as she was about to release the rabbit's death sentence, she heard Kahlan whisper in her ear.

"Do you have to kill it?"

"Do you have to eat?" Cara inquired dryly without letting the bow waver from its target.

Kahlan exhaled slowly in a resigned way, "It just looks so ador-" she was cut off by the flying arrow striking the rabbit.

"It's not its looks I'm interested in." The Mord'Sith got up and went to skin the dead animal.

"Of course you're not, what was I thinking," Kahlan stated, laughing to herself and watching the blonde work on the rabbit. Kahlan noticed Cara positioning herself in a way that shielded the gory vision from her. _She's doing that on purpose, _the Mother Confessor noticed with a contemplative smile.

Kahlan let her thoughts wander once again. The Mord'Sith was doing almost unnoticeable things like that all the time. She wasn't sure if Cara even noticed she was doing it, but Kahlan was noticing it more and more. Like the berries on her bedroll… simple things that she wouldn't pay much attention to if they weren't coming from a woman that didn't make _any_ effort to please anyone.

Kahlan was so distracted with her musings that she didn't detect the two brilliant eyes looking menacingly at her. She was still crouched at the spot where Cara had shot the rabbit, and before she knew what happened, Kahlan felt an agonizing pain on her right inner thigh. She screamed in pain and looked down to see a horrifying snake latched on her flesh.

Her sharp instincts lead her hand to the scabbard in her boot, in order to retrieve the dagger resting there. But when she was just about to pull out the blade, another scream sounded, more like a high pitched hum, and she felt the snake's teeth sink deeper for a brief moment, before the beast went slack.

Kahlan was sprawled on the leaf-covered ground. She lifted her gaze to see Cara grab the snake's head with one hand, the other still holding her agiel firmly. The Mord'Sith hurriedly tossed the reptile aside and put pressure on Kahlan's thigh, above the wound.

The Mother Confessor was still in shock from the intense pain, but she recovered to some extent after meeting Cara's determined green eyes. "The snake was poisonous, I have to suck the venom from your body before it spreads." The blonde was looking at her with an inquisitive expression, as if she was asking her permission to do something.

At the lack of response from the Confessor, Cara gave an exasperated sigh and lowered herself onto Kahlan's leg. Seeing this, Kahlan came out of her stupor. "What are you doing?" she said, her voice coming out in a somewhat shameful yelp, putting a hand to the blonde's shoulder to halt her advances.

"I'm saving your life, or at least I'm trying," the Mord'Sith said hastily. "_Kahlan_," she continued in a more moderate tone but looking straight in the Confessor's eyes to convey the importance of her words, "I know you're probably a little uncomfortable with the situation, because I'm about to place my mouth on that gash and I'll suck, _hard_, in order to pull the snake poison out of your blood stream. The thing is, I don't care if you're uncomfortable because my first priority is to save your life," Cara matter-of-factly informed the Confessor. Seeing the understanding appear on Kahlan's face, she continued in a brisk voice, "_So_, if you would be so kind as to spread your legs a little to make room for me to work, I'll start." She finished by* pursing her lips together and tilting her head, her eyes boring into Kahlan's with an unwavering stare, as if to say _Got it?_

Kahlan just nodded her head and made room for the blonde between her legs. Cara shielded her agiel and helped Kahlan to roll her right leg outside to facilitate her access to the injury. While she knelt between the Mother Confessor's legs, she looked one more time to the brunette's blue eyes, to make sure she was okay, and rested her elbows on the hard ground while her hands went to Kahlan's smooth thigh for support. She studied the cuts and then carefully surrounded the wound with her full pink lips and sucked the venom into her mouth with every bit of strength she had.

Kahlan felt a jolt that had nothing to do with pain, the moment Cara's lips touched her. When she felt the blonde's hot mouth on her sensitive skin, a foreign warmth traveled directly to her center and she felt herself shudder at the same time as her chest tightened. Kahlan opened her lips to let a gasp escape. Reflexively, she put her right hand on the nape of Cara's neck and squeezed a little. Kahlan was aware of the pain caused by Cara's actions, but somehow that went to the back of her mind.

The image of Cara with one hand beneath her thigh, holding it, and the other hand resting above the wound, was enticing to Kahlan in a way she didn't understand. Her haze was broken by Cara. The Mord'Sith raised her head and spat the venom on the ground quickly, avoiding contact with it for any longer than necessary. Her green eyes were somewhat unfocused when she glanced at Kahlan, and her voice came out more shaky than she expected when she said, "Hang on, I have to repeat it to make sure it's all out."

"Okay," Kahlan responded with a trembling but trusting voice.

Cara replicated her previous actions and once again brought her mouth to the pale thigh of the Mother Confessor, drawing out what was left of the poison and spitting the toxic liquid on the ground.

Cara swept the smear of blood that lingered on her lips with the back of her red-gloved right hand. She didn't let go of the hold she had on Kahlan's leg as she addressed the Confessor, "I'm pretty sure there's nothing left of it, but Zedd should take a look and heal the cuts." Her voice was a little steadier now, but barely. The Mord'Sith was avoiding Kahlan's eyes, but she squeezed her traveling companion's leg to reassure her that she would be fine.

Kahlan opened her mouth to say something but was cut off by Richard emerging suddenly from between the trees, looking frantically around. When he'd heard the scream he had immediately recognized it as belonging to Kahlan, and with just one glance at Zedd he had taken off in the sound's direction. The wizard had chosen to stay behind and look out for any sign of trouble. "Go on my boy, my bones don't allow me to go gallivanting through the woods," he'd said to himself, watching Richard vanish in the shadows.

"Kahlan! Are you ok? What happened?" he asked anxiously, looking from Kahlan, to Cara, to the wound on Kahlan's leg.

Before Kahlan could respond Richard heard Cara's distressed voice. "A _damn_ snake… I didn't see it earlier…" she said between her teeth, staring intensely at Kahlan's twin cuts next to her hand.

"What happened to the snake?" The Seeker demanded.

"I killed it with my agiel _obviously_," Cara said fiercely as if any other option was impossible. "I tossed it there," she added with a nod of her head in the lifeless animal's direction.

Richard crossed the distance to the snake and examined it. "It's poisonous. We need to suck the poison from the wound," he said, retreating back to the two women's side. "Zedd is back at the camp, he should be able to heal the cuts after," he said resolutely.

"Cara already took care of it," Kahlan finally spoke. "She sucked the poison out; it's just a cut now," the Confessor said, smiling at Cara. She noticed the concerned look that was still shadowing Cara's eyes and attempted to sound cheerful as she said, "I'll be fine. Just one more battle scar." Cara was not as amused as Kahlan had anticipated.

"A scar that could have been avoided," Cara snapped heatedly. "Didn't you see the snake Kahlan?" she asked with her brow furrowed.

"I was distracted, and think about it… it was an opportunity for you to save my life and boast about it later," she joked, trying to ease the situation. Cara was really bothered by the whole thing and that in some way warmed Kahlan, made her see that the Mord'Sith cared for her, or else she wouldn't be so mad.

"You're doing that a lot lately," Cara stated thoughtfully while she bit her inner cheek, completely ignoring Kahlan's teasing comments.

Richard remained silent during this trade of words, he could see Cara was worried and, similarly to Kahlan, tried to assure the Mord'Sith that she did everything she could. "It's easy to miss a snake, they're really quiet. But you did the right thing Cara, taking the poison out. Now all that's left to do is bandage it and let Zedd do his magic." He grinned and nodded confidently at the two women. After that he ripped a shred of his shirt and wrapped it around the cut on Kahlan's leg with utmost care.

The Seeker helped Kahlan get up, putting one arm around her waist to steady her and help her back to camp. Cara turned around from them and went to retrieve the rabbit she killed. She followed the pair closely behind, looking out for anymore of the nasty animals that would dare to cross her path.

When they arrived at camp they found Zedd with a worried look on his face. The wizard took notice of the state of Kahlan's leg and immediately went about repairing it while hearing Richard tell about what had happened. Cara was standing nearby, watching Zedd's work intently.

The pot was already on the fire, courtesy of Zedd, and after taking care of Kahlan's wound he picked up the rabbit to continue cooking.

Kahlan joined the wizard and helped him with the food, while Richard and Cara looked at the map and discussed routes. Each of them sat by the fire to enjoy the food once it was ready. They mostly ate in silence, with Richard sharing some trivial thing here and there. But when they were finished Kahlan noticed that Zedd was unusually quiet. Not that the wizard talked much when food was present, but he had an odd look on his face.

"Is something wrong Zedd?" Kahlan eventually asked the wizard. "You look concerned about something."

Zedd sighed and looked over her shoulder at the abundant tree line. "Something magical happened nearby, maybe a day ago." He looked back at three interested pairs of eyes.

"Is it bad?" Kahlan prompted.

"I don't know my child, I don't know." He shook his head from side to side with a somber look on his aged features.

"But was it some kind of spell you recognize?" Richard insisted, looking apprehensively around and then back to his grandfather.

"Not anything specific, I can only sense that it was powerful magic. I don't detect any trace of the spell caster so maybe the magic came from an amulet or something of the sorts." He shared his hypothesis with the others. "Or maybe the spell caster knows how to cover their tracks," he considered.

"Well, someone clumsy was over here." Cara brought the others' attention to a spot a little over the tree line. "The grass here is all trampled and there are a lot of twigs broken. Looks like our mysterious wizard went that way." She pointed in the direction of the broken branches.

"Whoever it is, is tall… the forest here is thick. Notice the height of the broken branches - it's a foot higher than my head," Richard said, standing next to the first tree that had been damaged by the person who'd passed by it.

"There are more footprints over there," Cara told Richard, pointing behind them. The other three examined the trail Cara discovered.

"Looks like the person stopped here," Kahlan concluded after noticing the trampled area between the two trails of footprints.

The four of them analyzed the surroundings and Richard summarized, "Someone came through there," he said pointing in the direction of the footprints found by Cara, "Then something happened here. Maybe this is where they stopped to do the spell. And then they took off in the opposite direction." He finished his assessment with a furrowed brow.

"This open area is where the magic is more significantly present," Zedd said, with his hands stretched out trying to read the residual magic energy.

Cara put a hand on her canted hip and gestured with the other, saying offhandedly, "So what? A wizard came in here, cast some magic, got burned, rolled in the dirt to put out the fire and ran away?"

Kahlan snickered at this.

Richard sighed and rolled his eyes. "I don't know exactly what happened, but it looks like there was more than one. There are a lot of footprints," he said thoughtfully. "Different sizes too," he said, pointing to the first trail. "And here they're all over. I can distinguish them," he stated, assessing the open area. "Then they're mixed together. Looks like they were running one behind the other," he finished, raising his head to look at his companions.

"Well it seems they are headed in the same direction we are," Kahlan pointed out, observing the path of the trail left by the mysterious people.

"Maybe they are headed to the next town, it's just a few leagues from here. If we leave by first light we can be there by midday," Richard informed them.

"All the better, we'll be in town in time for lunch," Zedd stated with a delighted smile, already imagining the culinary specialties the inn would serve.

"Of course wizard, first things first," the Mord'Sith said mockingly, looking sideways at Zedd while she passed him on her way to camp.

"I knew you would come to understand things from my point of view some day, Cara," Zedd said smiling, fully aware of Cara's jab but opting to retaliate with Cara's own weapon… sarcasm.

Cara stopped to look back at the wizard's grinning face. She raised one eyebrow and sucked in her cheeks letting a tiny piece of amusement show. "I'll take first watch," she said, rotating on her heels. The others followed the Mord'Sith, away from the tree line.

"You can play more tomorrow children, let's have some rest now," Kahlan said, laughing at both of them. Zedd chuckled good- naturedly and agreed with the Mother Confessor's suggestion.

The Mord'Sith turned and said, "What do you mean ch-"

"By children I mean stop bickering like them and go to sleep," Kahlan said smugly, having guessed what Cara was going to ask. _It's a rare occasion,_ _but in these things she's so predictable_, Kahlan thought, smiling contentedly to herself.

"I have first watch, remember?" Cara declared triumphantly, lifting her chin proudly. "_You_ sleep," she said, pointing one finger in Kahlan's direction for good measure, then turning around and taking her post in a state of alert that would make it next to impossible for someone to pass by her.

"Creator forbid she didn't have the last word," Kahlan whispered, making Richard snort amusedly.

"How is your leg? Do you feel better?" Richard asked her with a gaze filled with concern, fuelled by love.

Kahlan looked into his warm brown eyes and her joyful mood crashed down when she remembered the things she was contemplating earlier. She couldn't return that look to him anymore; not as passionately as she used to.

"Kahlan, are you okay?" the Seeker inquired after noticing the spaced-out look on Kahlan's face. "You must be exhausted. You should rest," he said, grabbing her hand and caressing her knuckles in a comforting manner.

"No, I'm fine. You just reminded me that I forgot to thank Cara for helping me." She smiled affectionately* at Richard and put a hand on his shoulder before she turned and walked to Cara, extracting her hand from his in the process.

Richard looked suspiciously at Kahlan's back. Something was bothering the young Mother Confessor, and he wouldn't rest until he found out what it was. He was the Seeker of Truth, after all.

Cara was standing tall in front of the moonlight-illuminated forest. She sensed approaching steps, and taking into account their lightness, it was definitely Kahlan. The Mother Confessor came to a stop right behind her, waiting for the blonde to turn around and acknowledge her.

"You're distracting me from my duties Confessor," she said without flinching, left hand on her agiel, never taking her keen eyes off of the almost total darkness ahead.

"Thank you," Kahlan said simply but earnestly.

"For what?" Cara asked, keeping her face expressionless.

"Saving my life…" Kahlan softly said. "…Again," she added with a smile.

"You don't have to thank me Mother Confessor, you didn't ask for anything," the Mord'Sith stated, swallowing the sudden small lump that made itself present in her throat.

This time Kahlan was having none of it and she decided to confront the stubborn woman. "You didn't leave me time to do it, you were by my side a second after I felt the snake bite," Kahlan said, proving with the Mord'Sith's own actions that the blonde deserved her thanks, and that those actions showed that Cara cared more about Kahlan than she admitted to.

When Cara remained stoic, Kahlan did something she had never done before, but which, as she was about to do it, seemed almost natural. Impulsively, she put her right hand on Cara's left shoulder and leaned in, kissing the blonde's cheek tenderly. Kahlan let her very lightly parted lips rest an extra second on Cara's satin-like cheek. It was a simple kiss, but at the same time it conveyed the great appreciation Kahlan had for Cara. It conveyed a strange kind of intimacy and understanding she'd never shared with anyone else in her life.

To her surprise, though Cara tensed up, she didn't pull away. She didn't acknowledge her, either - but she didn't jump back.

Kahlan licked her lips, confused with what she'd felt when her lips touched Cara's face. She let the hand resting on Cara's shoulder glide back down till she squeezed her forearm, noticing that Cara was grabbing her agiel more securely. "Good night, Cara," she whispered. For some reason it didn't feel right to raise her voice above a whisper. She turned around and left in the fire's direction, to the place Richard had already unfolded her bedroll.

After she was sure that the brunette couldn't hear it, Cara let out the breath she was holding and whispered quietly, "Sleep well, Kahlan."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Here's chapter 3. Let me know what you think ;)

Chapter 3

By the time they arrived at the town it was indeed midday. The sun was at its highest point and the heat was coming downward on them without mercy. The town looked like any other. It was small, with a rudimentary wall that served not so much for protection but rather to mark the town's limits.

They were spotted near the gate by a man that looked more like a boy, given his skinny appearance. The man immediately recognized the sword of truth and walked towards them.

"You are the Seeker, right?" the skinny young man asked Richard with a hopeful look.

"Yes, I am." Richard answered clasping the man's forearm in greeting.

"Praise the Creator, she sent you this way." The man said raising his hands to the sky in a thankful gesture.

"Why do you say that?" Kahlan asked, noticing Cara roll her eyes next to her.

"A group of slave dealers made camp a league outside of town, Mother Confessor." He said to Kahlan slightly bowing his head in a sign of respect for the highest authority of the Midlands. "They came in here for supplies, but we are scared that they will take some of us." The man informed them.

"But they didn't cause any trouble up until now?" Zedd questioned.

"Well… bar fights," he said cringing. "They go to the inn and drink a lot, and then start picking fights with everyone." The man added.

"Why don't you kick them out?" Cara asked, stunned that a bar fight was a problem for this people.

"We are no fighters. We are peaceful farmers. No one wants to risk getting on the sharp edge of their swords." The man said looking down somewhat shamefully; a little apprehensive of Cara's Mord'Sith leathers and agiels that were proudly displayed at her waist.

"You don't have to be ashamed for that," Kahlan said kindly. Cara looked at her with wide eyes as if she was insane. "I'm sure the Seeker will find a way to help you." Kahlan continued smiling at Richard.

"We'll look around and see what we can do," Richard assured the man. "But you would certainly beneficiate if you had people to protect your home." He said furrowing his brow, already thinking how he could help them. Richard could accept this people's reluctance to pick up a weapon, but he knew that when there was a threat to what you cherished the most you had to fight and protect it with everything you had.

"Thank you Seeker," the man beamed at Richard, "how can we repay your kindness?" He asked trying to express his gratitude.

"For a start you could tell us your name and were the inn is. It's about time for lunch and we are walking for hours without stopping." Zedd said with a grin, surrounding the man's shoulders with his arm to put him at ease.

Richard and Kahlan chuckled at this expected question from the wizard. Cara just sighted and shook her head.

"My name is Alec wizard Zorander," he said, then pointed to his right saying, "the inn is that way, I'll take you all there." Alec finished starting to walk in the direction he pointed.

Richard followed them a step behind, smiling fondly at his grandfather's always present appetite.

The two women were a few steps behind. Cara approached Kahlan and inquired curiously, "Why did you lie?" she tilted her head waiting for the Confessor's explanation.

"What do you mean? I didn't lie." Kahlan said confused with the blonde's question.

"Yes you did." Cara confirmed curtly, "You told that scrawny man he shouldn't be ashamed for not being able to defend himself and his people. That's a lie if I ever heard one." The blonde told Kahlan unapologetically.

Kahlan sighed, but if she was honest with herself that's a question she was expecting from the Mord'Sith. _This is going to be a hard one to explain_, Kahlan thought keeping in mind Cara's beliefs concerning the uses of violence. The blonde would never comprehend, least of all agree, with this people's way of thinking when it comes to violence. But the Confessor was going to give a try.

"Cara," she began already knowing that whatever she said wasn't going to make a difference, "This people are not used to fighting, they don't carry weapons around with them. They are used to taking care of animals and farming. They have a peaceful way of living." She said, looking to Cara's face and seeing the Mord'Sith trying to understand what she was saying… and failing as predicted.

"They spend their days taking care of all that and then someone comes along stabs them in the gut and steels all that they have created and they do absolutely nothing? It doesn't make any sense." Cara said unbelievably.

"I have to agree with you there." Kahlan said smiling resignedly, finding Cara's flabbergasted expression very amusing.

"Of course you have, I'm right." Cara said as if Kahlan just stated the obvious.

"But Cara, bloody confrontations are not common in these people lives. They don't have it in them to react violently towards another as a first reaction." Kahlan tried to explain this people's reluctance to pick up a weapon and injure someone.

"Everyone has it in them Mother Confessor," Cara said looking pointedly at Kahlan's boots were she concealed her daggers, as if to prove to the Mother Confessor that even the moral beacon of the Midlands used violence on a daily basis for defense, "We are all violent creatures," she stated, looking directly in the Confessor's eyes.

Kahlan's gaze never wavered from Cara's when she replied with as much intensity as the Mord'Sith, "Yes, but even creatures who know nothing but violence for the most part of their lives, are capable of doing noble and beautiful things if given the chance," she said intently, knowing that Cara would understand that she was referring to her.

Cara blinked and averted her gaze to the ground, avoiding Kahlan satisfied grin and knowing look in her direction. The Mord'Sith knew Kahlan was talking about her. That made her a little disconcerted. And the Confessor was right in a way, she did help people. But that was because she was doing what Lord Rahl ordered her to, or in Richard's way… _asked_ her to. She would never deviate from her violent path if the choice was hers alone, or would she? Truth be told, she probably would swerve a little. And she already had found herself doing it in some occasions. Like when she refrained from killing Thadicus to buy her another day on the land of the living when she was a baneling.

"I guess humans are confusing." Cara offered dismissively, with a disinterested expression. She hoped Kahlan didn't notice that she succeeded in throwing the Mord'Sith off balance. But catching the pleased glint in the brunette's eyes, Cara suspected that was not the case.

"_Complex_ Cara… The humans are _very complex_ beings." Kahlan corrected kindly. Cara just nodded her head in agreement this time.

In the inn they were received with cheers from the town's people, it looked like everyone wanted to shake the Seeker's hand. The owner of the inn served lamb and wine bountifully to the four of them.

While they ate and talked to the animated people, Cara noticed two mans next to the counter looking fixedly at them. Judging by the swords they had at their waists, they must be with the slave dealers. When Cara returned their stares boldly the two burly mans turned away from them.

Richard noticed this and asked Alec, "Those two," he said nodding his head in the counter's direction, "Are they with the slave dealers?"

"Yes," Alec responded, "The taller one is the leader's son." He said referring to a muscular young man, with dark hair and darker eyes.

"He's holding on his sword like someone is going to take it from him." Cara said raising one eyebrow and not taking her eyes of the two.

"He probably recognized the Seeker and is worried with what his presence here means to his business." Zedd said calmly.

"Do you think they have something to do with the magic you sensed in the woods?" Kahlan asked Zedd quietly.

"I don't know, but we can't rule that out." Zedd responded focusing his attention back on the succulent lamb on his plate.

"We should ask around to see if anyone knows anything about a wizard?" Kahlan shifted her attention to Richard.

"You and Cara should talk to the people here in town," Richard said, "Me and Zedd will go check the town's limits, see if Zedd can sense any other magic nearby. And take a look at the slave dealer's camp." He said looking to the wizard for confirmation, which he gave in the form of a nod.

After the satisfying meal, Richard and Zedd went with Alec to investigate. Kahlan and Cara took off in the opposite direction to talk with the town's folk and try to find out any useful information.

The women asked around if anyone had seen a wizard or sorceress in town, with Kahlan doing most of the talking while Cara just shot a blunt but pertinent question once on a while. But all the answers they got were negative. One old woman advised then to ask the town's healer. He was known to practice some minor magic, so he may be aware of something that the rest of them would not notice.

It was obvious that this people were fearful of Cara, judging by the apprehensive looks they shot at her. The Mord'Sith's red leather and agiels were recognized everywhere, and the brunette knew her presence next to Cara was as much as comforting as it was confusing for the majority of people they encountered. On their way to the healer's cabin she shared her observations with the blonde.

"This people are afraid of you," the Confessor told Cara, smiling to herself at the notion that the proud Mord'Sith would probably take this as a compliment. "Maybe you should try to put them more at ease when we speak with them. I'm sure it would make them more forthcoming with information." She suggested to the blonde, despite her guess at what Cara's response to this would be.

"They are and they should. I'm not exactly a puppy." Cara said, looking at Kahlan like she just told her the sky is blue.

At this Kahlan just raised her brow and smiled in amusement. _Looks like I guessed right, _Kahlan thought.

"What do you want me to do? _Smile_?" Cara continued mockingly. She obviously noticed people's reaction to her. She always enjoyed that kind of response, and definitely knew how to use that in her advantage. But since she joined Richard and his quest she started learning another ways to get information out of people; mostly because Kahlan encouraged her to. And Cara had to admit, the Mother Confessor was a master when it came to the use of words. She would make a brilliant leader to the Midlands when they defeated the Keeper.

"That would be a start," Kahlan chuckled. Apparently Cara was not insulted by her suggestion; this just showed once again that the blonde was slowly changing her way of dealing with people and situations. "You do have a beautiful smile," Kahlan said, intending it to be just an observation but it came out more as a heartfelt praise.

Cara slowed her pace and turned her head to Kahlan. She looked intensely at the brunette for a moment. The Confessor could swear that in that instant, with the way Cara's astounding green eyes were boring in her own bright blue ones, the dazzling blonde woman could see her very soul. But after what looked like hours but was really a few seconds, Cara's intense expression transformed into one of her infamous smirks, "How about now? Do I look friendlier?" She said with a full smirk on her lips. She also had playful glint in her brilliant eyes that only enhanced the sudden tenderness mixed with mischievousness radiating from them.

Kahlan let out a deep laugh, "You look awfully predatory," the Confessor couldn't take her eyes off the blonde's face. The way Cara was looking at her, with something mysterious behind that rare playfulness, made her feel calm and nervous at the same time. She didn't know what to make of it exactly, but she was sure that Cara was the only one that provoked this reaction in her.

"What's so wrong with scaring people anyway?" Cara asked with a shrug and returned her gaze to the path ahead, privately enjoying the fact that she made Kahlan laugh, "In my experience they talk quite nicely in that state." Despite all the new less violent techniques she observed from Kahlan, Richard and Zedd, she was still convinced hers were better.

"I'm sure your methods are very effective, but let's try another approach here, it may work too." The Confessor said in a mock pondering voice, tilting her head to the side in a contemplative manner.

"As you wish, Mother Confessor." Cara drawled and sighed exaggeratedly making Kahlan chuckle.

They took a few more steps in silence and then Kahlan noticed something, "Why are you walking half a step behind me?" She asked furrowing her brow.

"Don't go getting any ideas Mother Confessor. I'm not showing devotion to you." Cara said mischievously, glancing sideways at the brunette.

"I didn't mean it like that and you know it." Kahlan said, "But I can't help to notice that you are doing it on purpose." She insisted fishing for an answer.

"I prefer to see your back." Cara said nonchalantly.

"What's wrong with my front?" Kahlan asked with feigned innocence .She was aware that the blonde was most likely talking about her security, but she couldn't help the tiny jab at the Mord'Sith.

"It's dangerous," Cara said lowering her voice and raising one impish eyebrow. She maintained her expression totally serious and fixed Kahlan with her gaze, waiting for her reaction. _Two can play this game, Confessor_. When Kahlan started to blush, Cara continued, "The whole town it's dangerous, slave dealers are not to be trusted. I prefer to have you on my line of sight at all times." Cara finished seeing Kahlan fidget a little with her sleeves.

The Confessor was already expecting a response like that. What she wasn't expecting was the shiver that went through her body when she heard Cara's low voice. But not wanting Cara to know the effect such a simple thing had on her, especially when she didn't know the meaning of it, she tried to get the upper hand.

"Are you trying to take care of me Cara?" Kahlan managed to say cheekily, turning her head slightly Cara's way.

"Don't be ridiculous, I'm merely doing my job. I'm protecting you as Richard asked me too." Cara said, suddenly feeling exposed for some reason. She looked quickly around just to be sure there was no imminent danger that made her feel that way. Unfortunately for her, she realized, the uncanny feeling seemed to be motivated by Kahlan's words.

Cara's remark put a damp on Kahlan's mood, "Oh. So you're just doing that because Richard asked you to." Kahlan's said in a quiet voice looking at the ground.

"You don't really need it, you are a great fighter." Cara said, thinking that the Mother Confessor might be offended to be treated like a damsel in distress, as Richard seemed to treat her sometimes. The Mord'Sith knows she would be, she's perfectly capable of taking care of herself. And Kahlan was a strong and independent woman; she didn't need a man to protect her that's for sure. But Cara sometimes thought that Richard almost wished Kahlan would need him more. He liked to be the hero and wanted to show her that he was perfectly capable of taking care of her. The thing is Kahlan didn't need his help, if anything _he_ needed her help.

"Thank you." Kahlan said quietly, never lifting her gaze. That was a huge compliment coming from Cara, but for some reason that was not the answer she wanted. She had no idea want she wanted either, but her good spirits deflated somehow when Cara mentioned that she just protected her out of obligation.

Seeing the brunette's still down casted look, Cara mumbled something that the Confessor didn't quite catch. "What was that?" Kahlan asked.

"I said I also do it because I want to." Cara said hastily in a terse voice, "There." She said nodding curtly. She didn't like to say these things, the words sounded foreign. But Kahlan had the talent of making her say them.

"Just so you know… The feeling is mutual." Kahlan leaned in and whispered to the blonde.

"I don't need anyone's protection." Cara said proudly.

"I'm not so sure about that, " Kahlan said mysteriously and Cara looked shockingly at her, "Zedd may want to put you in a dress again, you might need me to protect you from his evil schemes. " The Confessor snickered. Cara just looked appalled.

"If I remember correctly Mother Confessor, _and I do_, the reason I got into the dress in the first place was to save _you_." Cara said with a raised brow, "So from where I stand you are not my savior, you are the reason why I get into uncomfortable situations." She stated smirking, proud of her logic.

Kahlan scoffed, "I'm sorry," Kahlan said sarcastically, "Next time I get kidnapped I'll try to make it a comfortable experience for _you_." She tried to keep her mock serious face, but one look at Cara's nodding head, as if to say _As you should_, and she was laughing again.

"Well at least I made you laugh," Cara said, a barely there smile present on her lips, "you're not doing that a lot lately." She observed.

"No, but you pull it out of me." Kahlan said smiling. _Lately_ _you always seem to know how to make me happy, Cara_.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Zedd and Richard were sitting at a table back at the inn. The town was not big, by mid afternoon they had finished their search for magic on the town's limits. They also passed by the slave dealers's camp but didn't found anything that would make them suspect they were holding someone against their will.

"Are you sure you did not sense something unusual Zedd?" Richard asked his grandfather while the man was snacking on a plate of figs.

"Are you questioning my magical abilities my boy?" Zedd asked offended, "I may be old, but that's part of why I'm so wise," he said affronted. "And I am a Wizard of the First Order, so I would sense any magic disturbance close to me."

"No, I'm not doubting you, " Richard said, "I just though that we would have found something."

"Maybe Kahlan and Cara found something." Zedd responded.

"Don't count on it wizard," Cara said, seeming to appear from nowhere behind the two mans.

Richard just turned around but Zedd was startled and choke on a fig. After Richard's slaps on the back and Kahlan providing a glass of water for him, he looked at Cara irritably and said, "You almost killed me young woman." He said with a strangled voice.

Cara snorted and said dryly, "Maybe if you learnt how to chew your food, instead of wolfing it down as if it was the last on the world, you wouldn't endanger your life." She sat down at the table in front of the two mans and stretched her legs on a stool by her side, leaning her back on the chair.

Zedd just frowned at her and tried to calm his coughing fit.

"She has a point Zedd," Richard said nodding his head in agreement and looking at the wizard with a teasing smile.

Zedd raised an eyebrow at his grandson and then turned his attention to the women, "How about you two _lovely ladies_," He stressed looking pointedly at Cara, "tell us what you found out."

Cara huffed and rolled her eyes at Zedd's remark, obviously aimed at taunting her. Before she had a chance to open her mouth though, she felt a gentle pressure on her right shoulder. She looked up and Kahlan was standing behind her, with her right hand gently squeezing her shoulder. The Confessor opened her mouth to talk, but not before shooting an amused warning glance at Cara. The Mord'Sith abstained herself from retorting to Zedd, but not from glaring at him for a moment.

"We didn't find anything from the residents. A woman advised us to go talk to the healer, because of his practice with magic." Kahlan informed them, with her hand still resting on Cara's shoulder. She was surprised the blonde had actually shut up a not continued bickering with Zedd. Kahlan didn't even think about it; when she realized what she was doing her hand was already making a home on the blonde's shoulder. Her gesture was instinctive, and Cara's reaction to it felt to her like she was touching a wild cat – a dangerous but hypnotizing experience.

Richard noticed this interaction between the two beautiful women and was stunned by Cara's reaction. That's what caught his attention. He had never seen the Mord'Sith acquiesce to no one besides him, and that was only because she kept insisting he was the Lord Rahl. The blonde obviously had something more to say to Zedd, and at one touch from Kahlan she let it go. Not mentioning that she did let the Confessor touch her without flinching. _She's letting Kahlan in. Despite all the obstacles they are forming a strong bond of friendship_. Richard thought, glad that they managed to overcome their differences. There was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind when he looked at them, but he chose to ignore it. Whatever it was it could only be good, right?

Zedd looked between the three of them and cleared his throat. "So what did the healer tell you?" He asked Kahlan.

"Unfortunately nothing useful," she sighed, "he said he didn't sense any spell casting nearby, neither did he sense anyone with magic powers inside the tow before we arrived." She said finally sitting down next to Cara. While she lowered herself on the chair, she let her hand glide down Cara's upper arm, resting it on the table top. The Mord'Sith had her gaze glued to the table, but she gave no indication of discomfort. She just seemed distracted.

"Do you have something on your mind, Cara?" Richard inquired, calling the blonde's attention. She looked like she was thinking hard about something. Almost every time, that meant she was going to say something no one though about.

"Nothing important to the matter at hand," she said, snapping her head up to look at the Seeker, "it looks like we lost the trail of our magical friend." she said what the four of them were thinking. Truth be told she got to that conclusion fairly quickly. What got her really thinking was the warmth of Kahlan's hand as it filtered through her leathers. The gentle weight and the calming effect it had on her. She knew what submission was, but she knew it at the end of an agiel. This was completely different. She did what Kahlan silently asked her to do, and that left a pleasurable feeling inside of her. She felt like she didn't do it just because she wanted to please Kahlan, though that was part of it, but because she trusted the other woman's judgment. She trusted that what Kahlan was asking her was the right thing to do despite her instincts guiding her tongue to deliver a snarky remark to Zedd. And the Mord'Sith trusted no one. Obey, yes… Trust, _never_. And that difference was what was unsettling her.

"Yes, it looks like it," Zedd said disappointed, "But what I felt in the forest was unquestionably powerful magic, we should be careful. Someone having or handling that much power can't be good." He said pensively.

"You're right Zedd, " Richard said, "If there's someone out there with access to that kind of power we have to be careful and try to find out in which side they're in."

"Right now we don't have much to go by," Kahlan interjected, "What about the slave dealers?" She asked Richard.

"Alec showed us where the camp was. It didn't look like they were holding anyone prisoner. There was only one tent that looked like it was the leader's quarters." Richard said, shrugging his shoulders, "If they had a lot of prisoners they had to have some kind of cage."

"If you want to help this people, Richard," Cara said looking around the inn, "You should tell them to pick up a weapon and fight back when it's needed." She could not understand what the big deal was. If you get attacked you fight back, simple.

"I'll have to do more than tell them," Richard said pursing his lips, "I'll have to show them. Want to help me?" He asked looking at Cara.

The Mord'Sith's face lit up immediately, "Now _there's_ something I can do." She said grinning widely. "It's so much better than _talking_ and _smiling_." She said, looking with mock sweetness at Kahlan.

The Mother Confessor rolled her eyes and shook her head, amused at the blonde's words. She fixed Cara with a sideways glance, "Just try not to hurt anybody. Leave them capable of using the skills we'll teach." She said smirking, watching as Cara got up from her seat.

"Be honest Mother Confessor," Cara said while she passed behind Kahlan, then she leaned close to the Confessor's ear and whispered, "You agree with me." She didn't wait for Kahlan's reaction and walked outside.

Kahlan's heart beat picked up and her cheeks flushed when she felt Cara's breath on her ear. The deep tone on the blonde's voice made Kahlan forget about the rest of the inn for a second. She was brought back by Richard's voice.

"Are you okay Kahlan?" The Seeker asked noticing Kahlan's flushed cheeks.

"Of course," she said dismissively, "You know Cara, always trying to mess with us." She said with a raised brow, getting up to go outside. Zedd following her lead. The three of them started out of the inn.

"I do know," Richard said laughing, "but you have to tell me the secret of silencing Cara," Richard told Kahlan playfully.

"There's no secret, I think it's just luck," Kahlan chuckled thinking about how stubborn the Mord'Sith was.

"I don't think so," Richard said, "It seems to me that you are learning the intricacies of the Mord'Sith and playing them in your favor." He said winking her way to show that he was only kidding.

Kahlan recognized his playful mood, but regardless of it she answered him seriously, "I'm not playing at anything Richard, I'm just looking at Cara and seeing the different layers, not just what's on the surface." She smiled at him.

"I thought you couldn't read Mord'Sith," Richard stated grinning. He understood what Kahlan meant, and he had to admit that if anyone could attempt such a thing, it was Kahlan Amnel.

"And I can't," she confirmed, "but I can listen to Cara... _carefully_. What she says and _especially_ what she doesn't say." Kahlan said meaningfully.

Richard just smiled and looked at her with an expression that conveyed he knew what she meant. They walked to the wide area in the back of the inn, where Alec was accompanied by about thirty men ready to learn from the Seeker how to protect themselves and their families. Cara was leaning on the inn's wall, her shoulders flush with the stone, hips tilted forward and feet crossed. When she saw Richard approaching she went to his side, left hand on her agiels.

For the rest of the afternoon Richard taught the men various ways to defend themselves. He showed them how to handle a weapon, starting with staffs, and made them practice with him first and them with each other. When they looked like they were starting to get the hang of it, the Seeker asked who wanted to try to fight Cara. No one came forward.

"I'll try not to kill you," Cara said, hoping that would be enough to make the men more relaxed. But the word _try_ did nothing to lessen the men's fears.

Kahlan stepped forward and addressed the frightened men, "What she meant was that she'll not hurt any of you," she said with a reassuring smile.

"I meant exactly what I said, Mother Confessor," the Mord'Sith said matter-of-factly with a furrowed brow. She noticed that they relaxed more with what Kahlan told them. But if they weren't careful they _could_ get hurt.

"I know you did Cara, but they don't have to know," Kahlan said widening her eyes slightly at Cara for the blonde to get that she was trying to put the men at ease. She smiled when she saw Cara sigh and shrug her shoulders.

They practiced until close to sundown. Richard also gave advice in how to construct a better wall around the town and advised them to have someone on watch at all times. The men thanked them for their help and promised to put the teachings to good use.

The inn was packed at dinner. The wine was flowing freely in honor of the Seeker. There was singing and dancing, everybody was having a good time. Richard's mug was being filled without rest, and various people were asking him to tell his adventures. He indulged them and let himself relax. Zedd was sitting at a table delighting himself with meat, bread, cheese and various fruits of the season. Cara and Kahlan were finishing eating at his table too.

"I'm going to get another pitch of wine," Cara said getting up. Kahlan nodded and followed the blonde with her eyes. She noticed that the two massive men they had seen earlier were there again, and they were looking at Cara with an almost hungry look.

"Are you as hard as they say Mord'Sith's are?" the one with dark hair asked next to Cara. He was already pretty drunk and had an obvious interest in the sexy blonde in leather.

"More." Cara said succinctly. She was in no mood to deal with this, she hoped he would shut up or else she would use her agiels and see how he liked it. But he was drunk; he didn't know when to shut up.

"How about we go upstairs and I'll show you how hard I can be." He slurred getting close to the blonde.

Cara smirked, already anticipating the sweet pain she was going to bestow on him. But as she was reaching for one of her agiels, she heard Kahlan's enraged voice.

"What do you think you're doing?" The Mother Confessor said with every little note of authority and anger dripping from her voice.

Cara was a little taken aback by this; she didn't known exactly what Kahlan was referring to. But then she looked more closely to the Confessor's stern face and saw that she was directing her question at the burly man who was trying to bed her.

Apparently the look on Kahlan's face was enough to put fear in the man's eyes. That and the fact that he was being addressed by the Mother Confessor of the Midlands, he didn't want to risk his free will over a woman; even if it was a stunning woman such as Cara.

"What's your name?" The Mother Confessor asked with a chilly voice when the man kept silence.

"Noran, Mother Confessor." He said, bowing his head in respect.

"Well Noran, I asked you a question." Kahlan insisted.

"I apologize, Mother Confessor. I was out of line," Noran said, trying to end this situation.

"It's not to me you owe an apology," Kahlan reminded him coldly, "It's to Mistress Cara."

Noran turned his bowed head in Cara's direction and told her, "I apologize sincerely Mistress Cara."

"Just get out of my sight," Cara snapped at him. Cara went in the direction of the stairs that led to the bedrooms upstairs, she turned slightly and said to Kahlan without meeting her eyes, "Could you come with me, Mother Confessor?" After seeing Kahlan's nod she went to the room they would be sharing, the Confessor right behind her.

"Why did you do that?" Cara said seething, "As if I'm helpless to defend myself, from a drunken idiot no less!" The Mord'Sith was shocked by the Confessor's behavior. Kahlan had never defended her in a situation like that so fiercely. Granted she defended Cara when they met Denee, but that was different. In this case her life was hardly in any danger, and yet Kahlan behaved like the man had a dagger to the blonde's throat.

"He was hitting on you!" Kahlan shouted. If the shout surprised Cara, whose eyes couldn't get any wider, it surprised the Mother Confessor even more. Kahlan did not shout lightly. It was not the way she dealt with things. And for her to have that kind of visceral reaction from something so insignificant left the brunette questioning her mental health.

"The majority of men and half the women do," the blonde said matter-of-factly, "they find me very desirable." She informed Kahlan. Cara could not understand what was going on with Kahlan. _Maybe she got torn in two again_, Cara thought, but dismissed it the next second.

"I know," Kahlan said quickly, raising her brow. She was bothered by something she couldn't identify, but was surely eating at her. "But he was being rude about it," she continued gesturing with her hands as if to emphasize the severity of the situation, "He was showing off in front of his friend," she continued with her rant not comprehending why Cara was not bothered by the disgusting man's behavior.

"Oh you know, do you?" Cara said, raising an eyebrow and lifting her lips in a half smile, briefly putting her anger on hold to take this opportunity at throwing the Confessor for a loop.

Kahlan looked disbelievingly at the blonde. _Figures, after all I said she focuses on that_, Kahlan though. She would be amused if she was not so mad.

"Didn't you hear what I said, Cara?" Kahlan asked narrowing her eyes. "He was being a jerk!"

"Yes," Cara said distractedly, but her annoyance perfectly discernibly "That's called being a man, or don't you know that?"

Cara was so stunned by this argument that she didn't notice the implications of her words. But when Kahlan didn't fire a come back at her immediately, she noticed the hurt look behind Kahlan's still irritated face. Of course Kahlan wouldn't know. The Confessor's experience with the male gender was very different from the Mord'Sith's experience. _That's an understatement_, Cara thought. Cara knew that was a sore subject for Kahlan, but this whole argument was a little insane, it starting to make her dizzy.

"Look," Kahlan said more calmly, "I just felt the need to defend your…"

"If you are going to say honor save it, or did you forget who you're travelling with?" the blonde interrupted Kahlan before she could finish, "I'm Mord'Sith." She said unfalteringly.

"And that means what, exactly?" Kahlan asked feeling herself getting annoyed again. She didn't know why but she just couldn't stop herself. She was peeved. How could Cara be more annoyed at her for defending her than at that man for practically insulting her?

"It means my honor is in my agiels," Cara shouted this time, "the rest it's called pleasure." Kahlan was being unreasonable and she was done trying to understand the brunette. Didn't the Confessor know she was not some little girl in need of protection? _Kahlan_ insulted her coming to her rescue like that.

"I wouldn't know anything about that, would I?" Kahlan said quietly. She hated that she was so out of control. Normally she would never prolong this argument. She would never start it in the first place. After venting to Cara she realized that she overreacted downstairs. But the Confessor's unwavering control on her emotions shattered completely for some reason.

Cara looked at Kahlan and regretted her words immediately. Kahlan Amnel was a woman of great honor and dignity. Her inability to freely be intimate with someone was a curse that came with her power. It was not her intension to use that against the Confessor, but she couldn't help but feel like she should have been more careful with her words. Nevertheless, she was still angry and that made her storm out of the bedroom. Kahlan sat heavily on the bed and rubbed her face with her hands.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Here's the next part. Hope you like it :)

Chapter 5

Kahlan stayed in their bedroom thinking about what had transpired between them. It was a stupid fight, now she was sure of it. But why did they have it to began with?

Noran behaved badly with Cara, but the Mord'Sith was more than capable of handling it alone. _Spirits, she could beat the man with her eyes closed and hands tied_. _Or simply dismiss him like he hadn't been there_. Kahnlan thought, not for the first time, after Cara left. Maybe she was so protective of Cara because the blonde was one of her very few friends? Growing up she didn't have many friends, everybody was afraid to touch her. And with the passage of time it seemed to get worse. She was the Mother Confessor, there was no way she could hide that, nor did she want to. But the other side of the coin was that people were afraid of her touch; they respected her, but they also feared her. They feared not just her touch, but her authority, her ability to pronounce judgment over every other person in the Midlands. That was evident with Noran. The man immediately backed down from confronting her. Even drunk and fearless enough to hit on a Mord"Sith he was very afraid of the Mother Confessor. But Cara, a Mord'Sith that could die a horrible death with just one touch from Kahlan, didn't fear that she could lose control of her powers and confess her. When Cara deflected her casual touches it was because she was uncomfortable with that kind of physical contact, not because she was afraid of confession. And Kahlan could work with that. Cara was tolerating those touches from her a lot more than she used to. And sometimes the blonde even initiated it.

Cara had been gone for a few candle marks already, and the Confessor was starting to think she would not come back. Kahlan was looking out the window when she heard the door open and close.

"Thank the Creator you're okay," Kahlan said relieved at seeing the blonde in one piece, "I was worried," she said softly.

Cara stopped in her tracks and sighed deeply, "I thought I already made it perfectly clear that I can take care of myself," Cara said looking at Kahlan through her lashes.

"Cara, about earlier, that was uncalled for-" Kahlan tried to apologize but was cut off by Cara.

"You think?" Cara said sarcastically but without the angry tone she had used earlier. She had time to think and decided that it was best not to make a big deal out of it.

Following their fight, Cara had gone back downstairs to calm herself, but after drinking a mug of wine the noise started to annoy her. To avoid it she had gone outside for a short walk, ending up seated on a rock. She had thought about Kahlan's out of proportion reaction. It had almost seemed like she was jealous. But why would Kahlan have been jealous? Had she been jealous of Norman? That couldn't be right, that would mean Kahlan had some kind of feelings for her. _No, that's ludicrous_, Cara thought with a frown. The Mother Confessor was in love with the Seeker, the Lord Rahl. Sure she had seemed a little off lately, but Cara could only speculate about what was bothering the brunette, since Kahlan never talked with her about that.

Cara's eyes had suddenly widened as it hit her. Maybe Kahlan's reaction was jealously after all: jealously of her, because Cara could bed whoever she wanted to without disastrous consequences and the Confessor didn't have that luxury. Kahlan must have reacted that way because she didn't want to see Cara do something that she, herself, couldn't do. She loved Richard, not being able to consummate that love must be painful for her. _That makes more sense, that must be it_, Cara concluded. Shifting, Cara realized her legs had grown stiff and cold as she sat thinking. Overhead, the last of the sun's light had faded and the stars glittered in the chilly air. Finally having reached a logical conclusion left her feeling a lot less accomplished than she had anticipated, however. The other idea, of Kahlan being jealous of that man just for hitting on her, was suddenly a lot more appealing. _Spirits, that wine must be stronger than I thought_, she thought, shaking her head to disperse the sudden strange feelings. At this point, Cara had decided to stop musing about Kahlan's hypothetical motives and go back to the bedroom to get some rest.

"I honestly don't know what came over me," Kahlan said, rubbing her brow with the pads of her fingers, "I'm sorry for yelling at you," she said looking apologetically at Cara and hoping the Mord'Sith wouldn't clam up. Before this they had been getting along so well. Kahlan had come to rely so much on Cara's witty comments and small discreet gestures. The blonde always found a way to bright her day and Kahlan didn't want their relationship to regress. She want Cara to continue to let her see the amazing person she was inside. But that would only happen if the Mord'Sith didn't completely shut her out again. Only recently had the brunette been allowed to see a little of who Cara was inside; she wanted to see more, not get shut out.

"I accept your apology," Cara said, tilting her head in acknowledgment, but Kahlan could see a flicker in Cara's eyes that told the blonde would not stop at that. "Just don't forget again that I can look out for myself," she said warningly to Kahlan, green eyes piercing Kahlan's blue ones. "And all of you for that matter, I'm very capable in that department," she continued raising her head proudly and letting her trade mark smirk show. "If it wasn't for me you would all be dead at least a couple of times by now," the blonde said truthfully, but with a teasing smirk on her lips. With this Cara hoped she had steered the conversation to an end. Kahlan had apologized; it was no use to keep discussing this. Whatever it was.

Kahlan raised her eyebrows, pursing her lips together in a tight but amused smile and nodding her head in a knowing way. She sat down on her side of the bed and thought, _Of course she would say something like that. Oh Cara, sometimes..._"you're so cute," she finished out loud before she could stop herself.

"_What_ did you called me?" The Mord'Sith asked slowly, going from calm to furious at burning speed. "I'm not _cute_; I've _never_ been and I'll _never_ be," she stated, gesturing brusquely with one hand to accentuate her words. "Do you understand that Mother Confessor?" Cara asked, putting her hands on her hips, eyes wide and brows raised in question. She was clearly pissed by Kahlan's remark.

_Now she looks even cutter,_ Kahlan though thoroughly amused. But she chose to not tease Cara any further and just nodded her head affirmatively.

"Do you? Because you don't look like you do." Cara said suspiciously, after detecting that almost imperceptive smirk on Kahlan's lips. She was still standing up in front of the bed, while Kahlan was already in her night clothes sitting on the bed, with her back to the headboard.

"Yes Cara, I understand perfectly." Kahlan tried to reassure the blonde, but she couldn't wipe the smile of her face if her life depended on it. _What_ _is wrong with me?_ she wondered absentmindedly. "Will you come to bed now? It's late and we need to sleep," she addressed the still furious blonde.

Cara just stood there looking doubtfully at her, whith her arms now crossed defensively on her chest, one eyebrow raised and lips almost… _Is she pouting?_ Kahlan noticed amazed.

Cara sniffed, uncrossed her arms, and swaggered slowly towards the bed without lowering her eyebrow and without diverting her intense gaze from Kahlan's suddenly unfocused one. The Confessor felt a shiver run down her spine; she couldn't take her eyes away from that magnetic gaze. Cara did it for her as she sat on her side of the bed, turning her back to Kahlan, and took her boots off. Kahlan breathed in a shaky breath. _How does she make me feel like that with just a look?_ she laid down beneath the covers and settled herself for the night.

After taking off her boots Cara stood up and walked towards her pack, while taking of her top leathers at the same time. When she reached her destination she turned slightly towards the bed to rest her top on a chair next to the wall. Kahlan followed the blonde's progress through the bedroom with rapt attention. The way Cara moved was so catlike, so spellbinding, that she couldn't help but look. The brunette could see the muscles moving beneath the golden skin when Cara took off her leathers. When the blonde turned slightly in her direction, the side of her breast entered Kahlan's line of sight. The brunette gasped, feeling a warmth lower on her belly. She turned her head to look at the ceiling, trying to control her sudden accelerated heart beat.

Cara took off the rest of her leathers and put on a large shirt. _Since_ _Kahlan has a problem with modesty… I would rather be without any clothes_, the Mord'Sith thought wishfully. She went back to the bed and stretched out leisurely on the bed, next to the Confessor. After settling herself on her back, left leg bended and right arm beneath her pillow, she turned her head to her left to look at Kahlan. "I'm not cute." She stated firmly.

Kahlan chuckled, feeling her uneasiness dissipate at Cara's words. "Okay, okay, I got it. You're nothing near cute," she said condescendingly. "I just said that without thinking," she said, turning on her side to look at Cara and putting both hands beneath her pillow.

"You _are_ worried then," the Mord'Sith observed, looking pensively in Kahlan's eyes.

"What do you mean?" Kahlan asked with a furrowed brow.

"You think a lot before you speak Kahlan," Cara said matter-of-factly. "If you're speaking without thinking, your mind must be filled with something that is _really_ bothering you."

"Nothing gets past you, does it?" Kahlan smiled and rolled her eyes at Cara's deduction,

"You may be able to read people Mother Confessor, but I'm very perceptive; I just don't share what I observe as much as you do." She gave Kahlan a smug smirk, allowing the mood to lighten; they were both tired and it was not the time to be dwelling on those thoughts.

Kahlan grinned at Cara's smugness. "You sure are perceptive," she said with a spark in her eyes.

Cara just gave a slight nod confirming that she knew that already. The brunette just chuckled, shaking her head.

"Goodnight Cara," Kahlan said exhaling a content breath while letting the tips of her fingers softly slide along Cara's face from forehead to chin in a playful gesture.

Cara let her smirk relax into a smile. She closed her eyes and mumbled a good night to Kahlan, wondering why her breath had caught all of a sudden at Kahlan's touch.

In the morning Kahlan woke up, but didn't open her eyes immediately. She was in a comfortable and warm cocoon with no desire to get out. But, unfortunately, duty called and sooner or later she would need to get out of the comfortable, and rare, bed.

The moment she opened her eyes she saw the reason of her being so snug. In front of her was a cascade of blonde hair and her body was wrapped around another with hot golden skin. She inhaled the essence surrounding her, that was all leather and something else that was all Cara. The Mord'Sith was sprawled on her back, in the same way she went to sleep in. The Confessor must have rolled in her sleep and ended up on her side, half on top of the blonde. Kahlan had her left arm throw over Cara's stomach and her left leg tangled with the blonde's left one. It was just as she noticed where all of her limbs were that she became aware of her skin being in direct contact with Cara's. She had her hand palming Cara's stomach beneath the oversized shirt the blonde wore to sleep, and since the Mord'Sith refused to put anything more than the shirt and her undergarments on, the bare skin of their legs were alluringly connected.

Cara was still sleeping soundly; which was a little odd since she normally woke up before Kahlan. The Mother Confessor dared to raise her head, without moving anything else, and took a moment to admire Cara. The blonde looked so peaceful. When they were sleeping in the woods, Cara usually slept with one eye open, but now she was completely serene. The blonde had her head slightly turned in Kahlan's direction and her left arm was draped around Kahlan's back, making the Confessor feel as secure as if she were surrounded by the elite of the Home Guard.

The sheets had fallen to their waists and Kahlan admired how her hand rested upon Cara's toned stomach. She always knew Cara had to have a toned body, but actually feeling those strong muscles beneath such a soft skin was mesmerizing to Kahlan. She was just taking in all that she was feeling, without scrutinizing for the reason she was feeling this strong pull towards the blonde woman. She let her hand glide across Cara's stomach and came across little burn marks on her left hip. That was the place she kept her agiels, the constant pain that the weapon caused must have left those marks there. She traced them with a ghostly touch, fearing she would wake up Cara. The fact that the blonde hadn't woke up by now left Kahlan thinking that the Mord'Sith must be in the same state of comfort that Kahlan had been in when she first woke up, and it prevented her from waking, even with Kahlan's touches.

Letting her hand continue stroking the marks, the Confessor started to think about the pain of the agiels, if the pain of touching them was always the same. She had felt the sting of those particular weapons once, when the Mord'Sith had burnt her wound close when they were chasing Zedd and Denna. That pain had been so excruciating she had passed out. And now, from some morbid curiosity, she wanted to know if it would be the same; if Cara felt that kind of excruciating pain at her hip, where she carried the agiels. With this thought, Kahlan looked to the side table, where Cara's agiels were resting ready for use. Without really thinking, Kahlan lifted her hand from Cara's stomach and stretched to reach one of the agiels. On the moment she was about to touch one with the tips of her fingers though, she heard a husky voice next to her ear.

"What in the Creator's name do you think you're doing?" Cara said, her voice sounding rough because she just woke up, but carrying every single once of intensity as if she had been awake for hours.

Startled by Cara's voice, Kahlan lost her balance and her body fell upon Cara's. Her upper body was flushed with the blonde's and Kahlan could feel the raise of Cara's chest as the Mord'Sith breathed. She could feel Cara's breasts pressed to her own. As the Confessor looked in the blonde's piercing green eyes she lost herself in their intensity.

"I…I…I was…" Kahlan stuttered, completely unfocused. Her gaze going from Cara's eyes to Cara's puckered lips.

"You were reaching for my agiel," Cara said, without taking her hand from around Kahlan's back.

"Yes," Kahlan blinked. "I was just going to touch one," she said vaguely.

"You were just going to touch one?" Cara repeated raising one perfect eyebrow. "Let me explain something to you Kahlan," the blonde said tucking one lock of the Confessors dark long hair behind her ear. "The only way either one of my agiel is going to touch you is if you need to have another gash burned closed hurriedly," she said quietly. "Or if I die and someone picks it up to hurt you." When Kahlan just stared at her, she added determinedly. "Probably not even then, I would definitely come back from the dead and kill the bastard before anything could happen."

Kahlan was so mesmerized by Cara's closeness, by the way their bodies molded together, that she was barely paying attention to what Cara was saying. When Cara touched her hair so tenderly and absentmindedly, like it was a daily occurrence, Kahlan knew she had never felt so exhilarated and protected as she was at that moment. Cara was, without a doubt the most thrilling being she had ever met.

She could feel the warm breath from the Mord'Sith's lips; she couldn't help but look at those full and luscious rosy distractions. It was like she couldn't control her own body. Without conscious thought, she started to lower herself on the blonde, looking between Cara's eyes and lips, and aiming her lips at the blonde's. The attraction she felt towards Cara was now painfully evident.

Cara swallowed slowly. She could not believe what was about to happen. Was Kahlan really about to kiss her? The Confessor was worming herself inside Cara's defenses, successfully tearing down her walls and getting to places inside her no one had ever been before. The only thing Cara could do right now, the only thing that she _wanted_ to do, was kiss Kahlan's sweet soft lips. Cara encouraged Kahlan with the hand she still had on the brunettes back. The Mord'Sith could feel her chest tremble in anticipation. As both of them felt their lips barely touch, the moment was violently interrupted by an angry loud voice from outside.

"Mother Confessor," a man's voice yelled angrily.

Kahlan jumped away from Cara's embrace and looked in the window's direction. Cara immediately picked up her agiels and went to the window to see who was the owner of the voice. When she looked outside she saw ten men on horseback, all lined up in front of the inn. All of them had leather armor on. _Extremely grimy_, Cara thought scrunching her nose. They had various weapons strapped to their bodies and folded nets on the back of the horses. They looked like slave dealers. That assumption was confirmed when she saw Noran at the front. The man who had hit on her the night before, was next to a older man who resembled him.

"What is it Cara?" the Confessor asked worriedly, trying to look over Cara's shoulder.

"Slave dealers asking for you," she said succinctly, "I don't like this, don't leave this room without me, I'm just going to put my clothes on." The blonde said retreating to where she left her leather and hurriedly putting them on. Kahlan busied herself with putting her white dress back on. After making sure her daggers were secure on her boots, the Confessor moved to help Cara with the laces on her back. The blonde gave her a curt nod of appreciation. The adrenaline provoked from their the concern about what was happening outside made them act quickly and practically, avoiding thinking about what had transpired between them on the bed.

When Cara opened the door she found Richard and Zedd on the other side. The Seeker had his hand raised to knock. Richard and Cara looked at each other with serious expressions, tacitly assuring one another that they where going with Kahlan to protect her from whatever was waiting at the front of the inn. The four went down the stairs, thinking about what awaits them.

When they arrived at the front of the inn they heard the man that sounded like he was the leader talk to the innkeeper.

"I demand to see the Mother Confessor," he shouted furiously, "I know she's in there; go get her or I'll burn this whole thing to the ground."

"You don't' have to do anything," the Mother Confessors voice sounded crisp and clear. "I'm right here. What do you want with me?" Kahlan asked, her face locked into the mask of authority and coolness that belonged to the Mother Confessor.

"I want you to pay for destroying my only son," the man seethed with rage, while he dismounted and advanced on Kahlan.

Immediately Richard unsheathed his sword and put himself in front of Kahlan. Cara assumed the same posture, agiels at the ready in her hands.

"Before you dictate a sentence, tell me what you think I did to your son," Kahlan said calmly, but without losing her posture and looking the man in the eyes, conveying that she did not fear him in any way.

The man huffed and turned around. "My name is Tryan and this is my son, Noran." Tryan said, while pointing at the man that tried to bed Cara the night before.

Noran dismounted his horse and approached the Confessor. Richard and Cara stood ready to strike. But when Noran got closer he bowed his head and said respectfully in greeting, "Mother Confessor."

When Noran lifted his head and looked at Kahlan, she understood immediately what his father meant. "He's confessed," she said, stunned. Cara and Richard turned around quickly, looking perplexed and confused at her. Zedd furrowed his brown in confusion too, pondering the implications, _How is this possible?_ the wizard thought.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Here's another chapter. Hope you enjoy it :D Let me know what you think.

Chapter 6

Everyone was still standing motionless in a stunned silence. Kahlan could not take her eyes off Norman. The man had the adoring look on his face that only came from confession; from being bare of free will and chained with a forced love for another. Kahlan Amnel was the only Confessor alive, so the logical conclusion was that she had done it, even though she had no memory of it; she had confessed him. _But how?_ Kahlan wondered.

Interpreting the Mother Confessor's surprised silence as guilt; Tyran's confidence in his accusations was renewed. "You don't want to say anything in your defense, Mother Confessor?" Tyran asked, "Then I assume you are to blame," he said triumphantly, taking a menacing step in Kahlan's direction. His hand was twitching on the handle of his sword.

"The only thing you can assume if you don't back off, is that I'll glue my agiel to your gut," Cara said harshly, putting herself more directly in front of Kahlan and effectively blocking Tyran's path. The man halted his steps, but the fury in his eyes never diminished.

Even with all the tension surrounding them, Kahlan couldn't help the fluttering of her heart at Cara's protective words. But she didn't want the blonde to have to follow through on her threats; there was no need for the situation to escalate. However impossible it seemed, Kahlan hadn't confessed this man's son. Nevertheless in her continuing state of shock, she was unable to identify a different cause for the confession than the one Tyran was proposing.

"Kahlan would never confess a man unjustifiably," Richard said, trying to defend her. "If she did, he must have done something," the Seeker said decidedly.

"I didn't do it Richard," Kahlan snapped, her head turning in Richard's direction.

"The _Mother Confessor_ says she didn't do it," Zedd said, stressing Kahlan's title while he looked in Richard's eyes. _The boy forgets that Kahlan is the ruler of all the Midlands. She has authority over all of us here; she must be respected and addressed as such when these situations arise_. Zedd thought to himself, somewhat disappointed at his grandchild's lack of understanding that he needed to still address Kahlan with respect as he defended her. "And I believe her. Let's try to find out what happened to your son," the wizard said addressing Tyran, hoping that the man would calm down.

"Well, I don't believe her," Tyran retorted angrily. "My son is _confessed_ and _she's_ the only Confessor alive. There's no doubt here." He shouted at the wizard. The rest of the men on horseback dismounted when they sensed their leader's rising anger. Every one of them was ready to strike on his command.

Sensing their increasing danger, Kahlan tried to avoid the looming blood shed. "I understand your reasoning, but that is not what happened," she said calmly to Tyran. "Let us help you find out what really happened to him. But be advised, if you try to attack me or my friends, you'll regret it," Kahlan finished with a cold voice, standing tall in her Mother Confessor's regalia.

Hearing these words, Cara tilted her head and let a predatory smirk spread her lips. Her eagerness to fight was clear on her features and her stance.

Just by seeing that tilt of Cara's head, Kahlan could perfectly picture the expression on the blonde's face. She was sure that if the man accusing her decided to attack her, he wouldn't be able to get passed the fierce Mord'Sith in order to do it.

But not even a Mord'Sith, a wizard of the First Order, the Seeker and the Mother Confessor could scare the man into ending his tirade. He was blinded with rage and his thirst for vengeance. "That _is_ the truth," Tyran yelled. "Yesterday, when he arrived at our camp, my son told me that you reprimanded him," the man continued angrily, "You did _more_ than that, didn't you?" He spat out.

"Father she-" Noran tried to speak but was quickly cut off by his father.

"Be quite boy," he ordered without even glancing in his son's direction.

"You met him before?" Richard asked, turning to his left to look at Kahlan.

"Yes, I did. Yesterday at dusk." Kahlan said, without letting her Confessor's mask falter, although inside she was wondering if she could have possibly confessed him the day before. She was certainly angry and her emotions were out of control, but that was not enough for her to confess him without touch. That only happened when she entered the Con Dar and she had not been _that_ angry. Or had she?

"Why did you reprimand him?" Richard asked curiously.

At this Kahlan's cheeks colored slightly. Kahlan didn't have the slightest desire to explain why exactly she had reprimanded Noran so gravely. She risked a look at Cara's back. She couldn't see the Mord'Sith's face, but she saw the grip on her agiels go tighter. Evidently Cara didn't want to revisit the incident either.

"He was being impolite," Kahlan vaguely explained. "I just told him to back off," she added, somewhat defensibly. Confessing him had never crossed her mind.

Richard was about to open her mouth to speak, but Tyran beat him to it.

"You didn't _just tell him,_" the man contradicted her. "From what he said to me, you almost ripped his head off, probably would have if he hadn't been being so obedient," Tyran said, looking at Kahlan with disgust. He was clearly not giving up his idea of blaming Kahlan for the state his son was obviously in. "And that trouble-free submissiveness was probably because you _confessed_ him," he finished bitterly. He couldn't imagine his brave and bold son, sometimes stupidly fearless, kneeling at a woman's feet readily, not without putting up a fight.

"Could you have entered the Con Dar and confess him even without touch?" Zedd asked Kahlan. The wizard doubted that was the case, he was sure they would have noticed if Kahlan entered the Con Dar. But he asked anyway, just to make sure they covered every possibility.

"She did nothing of the sort," Cara said, sounding bored. "If she had, I wouldn't be standing here, _alive_, would I?" she pointed out with a raised brow, rotating her head to look at Zedd.

"Why did you tell him to back off?" Richard asked Kahlan what he had intended to ask before he got interrupted.

Kahlan didn't want to share with everyone the reason why she got so furious the night before. She had already discussed it with Cara and they had buried the issue.

Seeing the discomfort in the Confessor's face, Cara intervened, saving Kahlan from having to tell what had happened; the blonde knew Kahlan was not one to be at ease talking about these matters. She, on the other hand, had no such problem.

"He was trying to get into my leathers," Cara interjected, turning to Zedd and Richard. "The Mother Confessor noticed that he was being inappropriate and told him to try to behave like an adult," the blonde said unapologetically.

Kahlan was thankful to Cara for intervening. She was aware that she overreacted the night before and sharing that with others made her feel somewhat vulnerable.

"So you confessed my son because you were defending a _harlot_?" Tyran said disbelievingly.

A blink after he finished that sentence he felt a sharp pain in his jaw and his back hitting hard on the ground. The next thing he was aware of was a screeching scream and a blinding pain in his stomach. When he opened his eyes he saw the Mord'Sith applying the end of her weapon to his belly. The blonde was hovering over him with a look of both rage and satisfaction in her eyes.

"I don't need anyone to defend me," Cara said between her teeth. "And as you can see, I'm a lot more dangerous than a harlot," she stated, fixing the Tyran with a murderous look.

Seeing their leader sprawled on the ground, the rest of the men unsheathed their swords to attack. They'd taken the first step when they heard the Mother Confessor's voice roaring with authority and menace.

"That is enough," Kahlan said, stepping in front of Cara. "Order your men to lower their weap-" she was interrupted by Cara's solid form colliding with her body and knocking her to the ground. They fell with a thump; unfortunately a medium sized rock that was protruding from the ground bore itself into Kahlan's lower back. She looked up into Cara's worried eyes. The Mord'Sith heard her gasp in pain and immediately checked her out for wounds.

"It's nothing, I hit my back on a rock," Kahlan informed the blonde in a whisper. "It's just a bruise," she reassured Cara after passing her hand over the area and not feeling blood.

Cara got up and saw the archer with his bow still raised in their direction. The arrow had only missed by a few inches, ending up deflected by Richard's sword; it's trajectory guided it in the Seeker's direction, after passing the spot where the Mother Confessor was supposed to be.

Kahlan also noticed this. Without even getting up completely, she took one of her daggers and threw it at her attacker. The man was struck dead as the dagger plunged into his chest an instant later.

Richard jumped forward with his sword ready to strike any men who dared to even look at Kahlan. He was about to speak his mind when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked behind him to see his grandfather with a slightly admonished face.

"Quiet my boy," Zedd said. "This one is for the Mother Confessor to handle, not the Seeker of Truth," he squeezed Richard's strong shoulder to emphasize his words and make sure his grandson followed his advice.

"I've tolerated this more than I should," Kahlan said. She winced imperceptibly when she got up, but her voice came out in a cool and unquestionable tone. "All of you put down your weapons if you don't want to end up like your friend," she warned, nodding in the dead man's direction.

Cara's gaze focused on the disoriented Tyran. _Poor excuse for a man… can't even handle a little pain_. The blonde thought, attributing his disorientation to the pain her agiels provoked. Cara leaned down and poked the still prone Tyran with her agiel. The man yelped and ordered his men to stand down.

"You have no right or authority to come here and accuse me of anything," Kahlan said. "I am the Mother Confessor, do not forget yourself," she said with a threatening voice.

"I only seek justice for my son Mother Confessor," Tyran said lowering his voice, while he got up from the ground.

"Father-" Noran tried to speak again.

"Shut up boy," he said hastily. "I can barely stand to ear you speak with that whine in your voice."

Noran had a stricken look on his face, while he looked between his father and the Mother Confessor.

"What you are doing here is not justice," Kahlan continue with ice in her voice. "It's vengeance, probably aimed at the wrong person," she said looking directly into Tyran's eyes, her gaze conveying only command. "You'll answer my questions or you'll go to trial for defying me, the highest authority of the Midlands. Do you understand?"

Tyran nodded rapidly, now with fear in his eyes. Once the adrenaline passed, he finally comprehended the gravity of his actions. He was so mad about his only son's state, that he had forgotten who he was talking to. Seeing the Mother Confessor regally standing before him, calmly prepared to pass judgment over his life, he suddenly understood a lot better why his son had show submission to her, with or without confession. Maybe she was telling the truth. Tyran's knees started to tremble. This woman's commanding posture could no longer be ignored. She was, without a shadow of a doubt, the rightful ruler of the Midlands. She could judge him for his defiance and condemn him as she saw fit. He prayed that it wouldn't be the Mord'Sith to punish him. He certainly didn't want to experience the excruciating pain of an agiel again.

Kahlan turned to Noran and assessed his stance. When he noticed her attention on him, he immediately bowed his head. But now, that the initial shock at the news had passed and she could afford to shift her attention from father to son, she could see an important detail. This man was not showing submission to her because he was confessed by her. He was showing the same submission he had showed the night before, although without the drunken slur in his voice. He was bowing his head to the Mother Confessor of the Midlands, not to his Mistress. With this in mind, although she was filled with incredulity, her next question was direct:

"Who confessed you?" Kahlan asked Noran.

"My Mistress, Mother Confessor," he said, a radiant and adoration filled smile lifting his whole face. It was a smile that would normally incite admiration in Kahlan, but knowing the reason behind it, instead, only incited disgust.

"You don't say," Cara muttered sarcastically under her breath. She had moved to stand a step behind Kahlan, and was watching every movement like a hawk.

Kahlan could hear the Mord'Sith's dry comment and had to control an amused smile that was struggling to show on her lips. A warm, calming feeling flooded her chest. Even in a stressful situation such as this, Cara could make her feel grounded and calm with something as simple as a sarcastic remark.

"What's your Mistress's name?" Kahlan insistingly inquired of the confessed man, thinking that maybe it had been her sister. Although it was highly unlikely, since Dennee was living far away from here, it was not impossible. After all, Kahlan and Dennee were the only two Confessor's alive. Kahlan had to know.

"Forgive me Mother Confessor, but I can't answer that," he said apologetically, but without any guilt.

"What does she look like then?" Kahlan asked, thinking that maybe he didn't know the name of the woman who confessed him. "Did she have brown hair and blue eyes?" the brunette specified, giving the description of her sister's new body.

"She didn't have brown hair," he said, which meant Kahlan's suspicion that it could have been her sister who confessed this man was incorrect. "I can't tell you more than that," he said resolutely. But this time, Kahlan noticed he had a small smile on his lips when he refused to reveal his Mistress's identity or looks.

Cara saw the smile too and immediately found it suspicious. "Is he lying?" the Mord'Sith pondered. "I could make him tell the truth," she said, a menacing smirk on her lips. Cara lifted her right arm and pointed an agiel at his chin; her intentions perfectly clear.

"No, he isn't lying," Kahlan responded beside her, reading the truth of his words with her powers. She grabbed Cara's forearm softly, in order to compel the blonde to lower her weapon. The moment her fingers closed around the taunt muscles of Cara's forearm, she felt herself tremble inside. Her Confessor's mask never faltered, she was sure no one picked up on her momentary shift of focus; but when she glanced at Cara and saw the Mord'Sith return her look, she knew that those green eyes could make out the turmoil wrecking havoc inside her.

Cara could feel the heat from Kahlan's hand even through her leather. Feeling the heat from Kahlan's skin transported her immediately to the moment she had woke up this morning. Cara felt a shiver travel down her spine just at the memory. When she felt the brunette's hand twitch slightly around her arm, she glanced at Kahlan. What she saw in the confessor's eyes was the reflection of her own thoughts.

Since this was not the time to be indulging in distractions, Cara lowered her arm and broke her eye connection with Kahlan. The Confessor cleared her throat quietly and addressed Noran again.

"Why do you look so pleased in hiding her identity?" the Mother Confessor inquired.

"Because my Mistress told me not to give that information to anyone," he said, the adoration unwavering on his features. "She told me to be good and not to tell anyone anything about her. That's why I was trying to stop my father from harming you. I was trying to be good, make things right. But he wouldn't hear me and I have to respect him because he's my father just as I have to respect you because you are the Mother Confessor.

"When did she confess you?" Kahlan tried to collect more information, wondering why his Mistress had made such a request. It was exceptionally clear what had happened to Noran; if she wanted to remain undetected, why had she not ordered him to conceal that fact as well?

"Last night, Mother Confessor, when I returned from the inn," he answered. "I am so sorry, I was going to do terrible things to her," he said starting to weep. "I'm so sorry, so sorry," he sniffled. "But my Mistress forgave me, she just told me to never do it again," he finished with a grateful look on his dark eyes.

"You had someone with you in the tent?" Tyran asked his son, a disbelieving look on his face.

"Forgive me father, I was going to sell her and keep the profits to myself," Noran revealed, with fresh tears flowing down his cheeks.

"You captured _a Confessor_ on your own?" Cara asked doubtfully. She knew the man was confessed and that Kahlan would be able to tell if he was lying, but that sounded more than a little unbelievable. How could a man like him successfully capture a Confessor? He should have been confessed on the spot.

"No, I was with Harus," he said, referring to the burly man that was with him on the inn the night before. "We came upon her, she was confused and freighted. We didn't know she was a Confessor. She tried to escape, but she didn't put much of a fight. She looked very tired, almost drained," he recalled his Mistress state when he and Harus found her. "We took her and hided her in my tent. We were going to sell her in the next town without my father's knowing; share the profits and spend it on women and wine," he finished retelling his plans.

"What a surprise," Cara spoke again in her extremely sarcastic tone. This time Kahlan glanced at the blonde and pursed her lips, silently conveying her agreement with the Mord'Sith's words.

"Where is Harus?" Kahlan asked looking around the men. If Harus was not confessed too, he could tell more about this mysterious woman.

"I killed him," Noran said unapologetically. "She escaped the camp after confessing me. Harus came inside my tent and said he was going to kill her for confessing me," he revealed, shattering Kahlan's hopes. "I had to protect my Mistress," he said determinedly.

"Where did you find her?" Zedd asked, his eyes showing that he already suspected something and wanted confirmation from the man.

"In the woods, the ones we passed before getting here," Noran answered the wizard.

"How long ago?" Richard asked, aware of his grandfather's line of thought. In Cara and Kahaln's faces a spark of recognition could also be seen.

"Three days ago," Noran said to the Seeker.

Zedd and Richard traded knowing glances with each other. Cara furrowed her brow in thought at this new found knowledge and looked to Kahlan to see her reaction. The Confessor had her brown furrowed too and looked at Zedd questioningly. The wizard caught her eye and nodded at the strong possibility that this Confessor was most likely to be their mysterious magic caster from the woods.

Kahlan turned to Tyran. "Get up," said in a steel voice. "You know now what happened to your son. It is my judgment that he deserved to be confessed if he was going to harm this woman," she practically spat at him.

"Mother Confess-"

"I'm not finished," she interrupted him. "You will compensate this town and its inhabitants for any and every one of the problems you and your men have caused. You will repair everything you have broken and will leave the majority of the gold I'm certain you carry with you as a compensation for the rest," she ordered.

"Then you will leave this area, permanently. Since you are so eager to use your weapons, go to Aydindril and join the Midland's army. Tell the commander I sent you there and share with him any information you have about the slave traders to whom you have been selling. Help the army to stop them," she finished. "Did I make myself clear?" She asked, taking an extra step in Tyran's direction, her assertive voice leaving no room for her commands to be questioned.

The man immediately took a step back. "Yes, Mother Confessor," he said exhaling the breath he was holding and bowing his head. It seemed that after figuring out his mistake, the man was trembling at the thought of what would be the consequences to his reckless actions. He truly thought that the Mother Confessor was going to kill him right here, but she didn't. His consideration for the highest authority of the Midlands increased ten fold. She was ruthless, as his dead subaltern could tell. But she also was fair and tempered her judgments with mercy; allowing him and his men to leave here alive, with the penance of helping this people, testified to that.

To make sure the slave dealers would fulfill their penance, Zedd spelled the whole band. The spell would warn him if anything or anyone was harmed by the slave dealers. He told the leader that if that came to pass the Mother Confessor would personally track them down to bring them to justice.

After learning about the existence of another Confessor, Kahlan informed her companions that it was her duty to investigate this surprising event. Richard readily made himself available to help her find the new Confessor. The brunette thanked him, but reminded the Seeker that he had a quest to complete. Surprisingly, Richard didn't argue and offered his tracking abilities to help Kahlan pick up the Confessor's trail at the slave dealer's camp. Zedd and Cara followed Richard and Kahlan in the direction of the camp.

Once there, Richard easily picked up a trail leaving Noran's tent. They followed it for a while and the small footsteps directed them to the road that connected this town to the next. Richard opened the compass on his hand and saw that it pointed in the same direction of the Confessor's trail. The Seeker smiled triumphantly at Kahlan. When she saw his expression, the brunette realized that he didn't argue with her before because he was hoping the compass would point in the same direction of the unknown Confessor's footsteps. They would be traveling in the same direction after all.

The group of four walked down the road, following the compass and the mysterious Confessor's trail. After only a dozen of steps Richard noticed that the Confessor's trail disappeared. But his keen eye caught the end of the trail next to a wagon's marks on the road. The Seeker deduced that the Confessor must have had gotten inside a wagon, probably belonging to a merchant. The other three approved his assessment and they continued walking in the same direction.

Richard and Kahlan were walking side by side at the front. Zedd was behind them and Cara was a couple of paces behind the wizard, her senses highly tuned to her surroundings. Richard brought up the thing all of them were thinking about.

"A Confessor?" he started, with a surprised expression. "How is that possible? Did the Mord'Sith leave someone alive back in Valeria?" he asked offhandedly, turning around to look at Cara.

The Mord'Sith gave him a warning stare, shifting her eyes to look pointedly at Kahlan's back and then looking back at Richard intensely. "I already told you what happened in Valeria," she said curtly, hoping Richard would understand her hint and shut up.

Richard was taken aback by the blonde's intense stare, but her words made him instantly realize that his question would trigger bad memories for Kahlan. He was further surprised as he noticed that Cara didn't chastise him for questioning her sister's efficacy in killing the Confessors. Instead, the blonde was worried with what the mention of that incident could do to the brunette. _Kahlan sure is rubbing off on her_, Richard thought. Aware of his mistake, Richard turned his attention to Kahlan.

"Kahlan, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-" he said apologetically, with soft expression.

"I know Richard; it's okay, don't worry," Kahlan said with a small smile that didn't quite reach eyes, putting the Seeker at ease. The truth was she didn't feel upset with Cara now, when she thought about what happened in Valeria. Of course she would always be sad thinking about the death of her fellow Confessors. Of course she hated that her sister had to kill her son and die at the end of an agiel; Cara's agiel. But she tempered her rage with the knowledge that the blonde had been just a weapon wielded by Darken Rahl. And when she thought about what Cara told her, that she had killed her sister swiftly, she believe that; she believe that even back then Cara found ways to do her master's biding with a small personal twist. The Mord'Sith had been proud of fulfilling her missions, but she still could have recognized honor in Dennee's actions and how Kahlan's sister didn't deserve an exceptionally painful death after killing her only son to save him from Darken's claws. Cara had been merciful, in her way; as much as she could have been under than monster's rule.

"So how is it possible that another Confessor exists?" Kahlan turned the conversation away from those memories. "The Night Wisps looked all over for any Confessor that might be alive, they only found Annabelle," she recalled what had happened after she had that warning dream. "We drained her power with the Quillion; she's not a Confessor anymore" she added.

"Could someone create a new Confessor?" Richard asked Zedd.

"It's possible, but it would take extremely powerful magic," Zedd said. "Only someone with great power could attempt something like that. And even then, it would probably take more than one wizard or sorceress," he mused.

"Could Nicci do it?" Richard asked, remembering that Nicci was in possession of an incredible powerful Han.

"Why would Nicci want a Confessor?" asked Cara.

"To steal her power maybe," said Richard thoughtfully. "From what Noran said, this Confessor looked like she was on the run," he theorized from the information he had.

"Or running towards something," Zedd hypothesized. "I don't think Nicci did it, my boy. It would have been easier to bestow that power directly on herself," the wizard said with certainty.

"What if someone stole the Quillion holding Annabelle's power?" asked Cara nonchalantly.

The other three stopped and turned to look at her. Their faces showed that this was a strong possibility for what may have happened.

"That could be possible," Zedd was the first to voice his thoughts. "But with what intention?" he pondered.

Richard raised his brown and sighed. Without more information they were unable to come up with a plausible justification for what they had figured out. If they were right.

Cara just started to walk again. Being rooted to one spot was not going to solve the riddle for them; they had a quest to get back to. When she passed Kahlan she noticed how lost in thought the Confessor looked. "No use on melting our brains looking for an answer now," Cara said without turning around, bringing the rest of them out of their thoughts. "Let's continue to look for the stone and see if some other clues appear," she said.

A small smile appeared on Kahlan's lips. She nodded her head and started walking again. Zedd and Richard right behind her. The Confessor recognized Cara's words for what they really were; a way of cheering her up. She was absolutely right about what she had said to Richard the day before: to truly listen to Cara, you had to pay attention to what the Mord'Sith didn't say.

That night they made camp off the road, as always. Dinner was uneventful and everyone was asleep for a while now.

Everyone except Cara, that is, she had first watch. The blonde was sitting on her bedroll, her back resting on a log in front of the fire. She was keenly aware of the world around her. _Especially if a possibly dangerous Confessor was on the loose_, she thought.

There was also an annoying sound she had been hearing from Kahlan's bedroll for a while now which hadn't stop yet, as Cara had been expecting. It looked like she was going to need to do something to make it stop; so she did.

"That doesn't sound like _just a bruise_," Cara noted, knowing that Kahlan would hear her. The Confessor was turning this way and that on the bedroll; trying to find a comfortable position. She had hurt her back when she fell to the ground earlier, pushed by Cara. The cold air of the night wasn't helping her sore muscles to relax and as a result, she was having a hard time falling asleep.

Kahlan stopped her pitiful movements and sighed loudly. "Maybe I misjudged the gravity of the injury," Kahlan admitted reluctantly. "But don't worry, I'll be fine," she said dismissively.

"Your little dance on the bedroll is extremely annoying. I'll wake up Zedd to help you with the pain," Cara said, getting up from her warm spot in front of the fire.

Kahlan thought about telling Cara to stop and don't wake up the wizard. But the word _stop_ would not even reach Cara's ears, so she opted for a more effective and fun way.

"Are you feeling guilty for pushing me to the ground like a sack of flour, so I ended up hitting my back on a rock?" she asked innocently, her voice not much louder than a whisper.

As predicted Cara halted straight away. The Mord'Sith took two steps in Kahlan's direction and stopped with her back to the fire. She put her hands on her hips and raised a single unimpressed eyebrow before speaking to Kahlan.

"You are not seriously suggesting that I feel guilty for saving your life, _again_, are you Confessor?" she asked smugly, sucking in one of her cheeks. The volume of her voice equaling Kahlan's, in order to avoid waking up the two men.

"Well, when you put it that way," Kahlan said smiling, raising herself on her elbows. She couldn't hold the whimper that left her lips at the movement. She cautiously raised her gaze to Cara to see if the blonde had noticed.

"There's no other way to put it," Cara stated dryly. "And I heard that, I'm going to wake up Zedd," she turned around, intending to wake up the snoring wizard.

Kahlan huffed. _Of course she noticed_, she thought. It was really hard to fool the Mord'Sith; even more if she was on to something. "There's no need for that Cara," she said a little more forceful to the blonde.

"Yes, there is. You've been whining for a while now," Cara stubbornly retorted, gesturing with one hand in the Confessor's direction.

"I was not whining," Kahlan whispered indignantly.

"Oh, yes you were Confessor," Cara contradicted her tauntingly. "But since you insist in not waking the wizard, you're coming with me," she said simply, retreating to her spot at the fire.

When she didn't heard Kahlan get up, she looked over her shoulder, "Do you need help?" the blonde asked.

"No, I can get up by myself," the brunette responded, watching as Cara sat down on her bedroll. The blonde made herself comfortable on her previous spot; back against the log, facing the glowing fire. Kahlan got up, wincing at the pain on her lower back, picked up her own bedroll and walked towards the Mord'Sith.

"You can be really bossy," she told the blonde once she was standing next to her.

Cara raised her eyes to look at her. "That's one of my many qualities," the blonde said with a teasing smirk.

Kahlan just raised an eyebrow and chuckled quietly. The brunette had her bedroll in her arms and her back was really starting to hurt. She looked at Cara with a questioning look. "So, what is your plan?" the Confessor asked, hesitantly looking around the fire area.

Cara didn't answer, she just leaned back and motioned for Kahlan to sit between her legs.

"You want me to sit… _there_," Kahlan said, stuttering slightly and pointing to the small space between Cara's strong legs.

"Yes Confessor, you guessed right, congratulations," the blonde said in a flat tone, but a spark of mischievous was perfectly clear in her eyes for Kahlan to see. "Come on, I promise you'll be more comfortable and warm. It'll be good for your back," Cara said, explaining her motives to Kahlan. The brunette still was somewhat unsure. "I don't bite Confessor," Cara added huskily, raising a perfectly shaped eyebrow and tilting her head in a teasing manner.

"Don't get so smug _Mord'Sith_," Kahlan said cleverly, shaking her head. "I'm not afraid of your bites," she whispered in a husky tone that could rival Cara's, while she seated herself between the blonde's leather covered legs.

Cara was a little surprised with Kahlan's response. Not so much at the words, but at the tone they were delivered in. The Mother Confessor was definitely a woman full of surprises. Instead of replying verbally, she smirked. The blonde took Kahlan's bedroll from her hands and put it around the Confessor's body; effectively covering the brunette and the lower half of herself. After making sure Kahlan was covered, Cara pulled the Confessor's back flush against her front.

Kahlan let herself be pulled backwards into the Mord'Sith's warm body and rested her head in Cara's left shoulder. The blonde took off her gloves and put her hands on Kahlan's tense shoulders, starting a light and soothing massage. The brunette's muscles were tense from the strain of her back hurting and quite possibly from the stress of the day's events. Cara knew that in order to help lessen the Confessor's pain she had to do something to relax her muscles; a massage was the first thing that came to her mind. Kahlan let out a deep moan and buried her nose on the nook between the blonde's shoulder and neck, inhaling Cara's calming scent.

"That feels so good," Kahlan whispered breathily, instinctively arching her back and moaning again. "I didn't realize I was hurting so much," she whispered, her lips grazing the soft skin of Cara's neck. Her hands, which had been on her lap, moved to Cara's toned thighs. The movement of Kahlan's back gave Cara's right hand more freedom to move and start to knead the Confessor's bruised muscles in the middle of her back. The blonde's left arm moved around Kahlan's stomach.

Cara just gave a noncommittal sound and swallowed hard. If she had been surprised at the suggestive way Kahlan delivered her teasing words moments ago, now she was speechless by the primal display of pleasure from the brunette. Cara was starting to wonder if she thought this through. When she proposed that the Confessor sit in front of her in this position, it was to relieve Kahlan of the constant pain that was preventing her from resting. But now, the persistent pressure of the Confessor's hands on her thighs was becoming an increasing distraction. Every time Cara kneaded Kahlan's muscles, the brunette would squeeze both her thighs in sync.

Cara swallowed, not ceasing her movements. She struggled to keep her reason for doing this at the front of her mind, using the arm she had around the Confessor's stomach to counteract Kahlan's arching tendencies as she methodically forced the tension in the confessor's muscles to relax. After what felt like an eternity, the Mord'Sith risked a glance down Kahlan's body, but immediately regretted it. From her position, Cara could see the brunette's tempting cleavage taunting her. The front laces on the white dress become impossibly taut over Kahlan's breasts every time the Mother Confessor inhaled. Kahlan's breath was raising goosebumps on the skin of Cara's neck, something that didn't happen often. Cara bit her lower lip; making a colossal effort to keep her hips still. She focused her gaze back on the fire and slowed her movements, hoping Kahlan wouldn't ask her to continue because she couldn't take this sweet torture anymore.

"Thank you Cara. I'm feeling a lot better now," the Confessor said, while resting all her weight onto Cara's body. The back of her head was resting comfortably on Cara's shoulder. The brunette was completely unaware of the effect she was having on Cara. "Are you okay in this position?" Kahlan asked distractedly. She had her eyes closed and an expression of pure delight on her face.

"Yes," Cara said throatily, moving the hand at the brunettes back to join the other across the Confessor's stomach. Kahlan's response to her touch was enthralling. The way the brunette's body had undulated at every rub from Cara's fingers made the blonde catch her breath every time it had happened.

"But your back will hurt," Kahlan insisted; her worry for the Mord'Sith's comfort returning some of her focus. "I'm not exactly light as a feather," she commented.

"I'm not exactly weak as a chicken," Cara replied automatically, still staring at the flames.

Kahlan blurted out a deep laugh. She immediately covered her mouth with her left hand, trying to muffle the sudden loud sound. The effort of holding her laugh made her entire frame shook and consequently it made her back hurt. "Don't make laugh Cara, it hurts my back," she admonished the Mord'Sith once her laughter calmed down.

"I wasn't making you laugh Confessor," Cara said, struggling to keep a straight face, but letting a small smile escape due to the wonderful image of Kahlan laughing so lightheartedly. "I was just following your metaphor," the blonde justified herself, looking sideways at Kahlan.

Kahlan turned her head on Cara's shoulder to squint her eyes good-naturedly at the blonde. "Are you really okay, though?" she insisted softly, resting her arm on top of the bedroll.

Cara rolled her eyes and huffed. "You know why you can't sleep?" the blonde asked, looking at Kahlan with a raised eyebrow. "Because you keep talking," Cara whispered confidently. Kahlan just raised her brow, sensing that the striking woman had something more to say. "Try this, shut up, lean on me and close your eyes. Let's just give it a try, maybe it will work," Cara said seriously. Kahlan needed to rest; hopefully this accommodation improvement would help her achieve that.

"Maybe you're right," Kahlan whispered, a contented smile painting her rosy lips.

"I am," Cara asserted, giving a curt nod. She turned her head to look back at the fire.

Kahlan returned her left arm to the warmth beneath the bedroll, generated by their combined body heat. But this time, she rested her hand on top of Cara's, intertwining their fingers together. The brunette turned her head to look at Cara's face, lifting her right hand from Cara's thigh and cupping the blonde's right cheek. The Mord'Sith skin was so velvet like, so warm; touching it was a thrilling experience. That morning she had experienced a large expanse of her skin in contact with Cara's. But this soft and simple touch, just holding Cara's cheek on her palm, was equally intense.

Cara was staring fixedly at the fire. The ferocious flames reflected in her beautiful green eyes contrasting with the peaceful expression on her stunning face. Kahlan felt as if her chest couldn't contain her happiness; here, encased in this woman's shielding arms. The brunette felt like nothing could harm her inside this embrace. When Cara leaned into Kahlan's palm, the Confessor felt a rush of tenderness for this woman. Letting that feeling guide her, she moved her lips a couple of inches and kissed Cara in the sweet spot below her ear. Kahlan let her lips linger for a brief moment, long enough to be considered more than a friendly peck. The Confessor closed her eyes and let herself relax into the warmth that had nothing to do with the fire, but everything to do with being this intimate with Cara.

Eyes still shut Kahlan felt Cara swallow under the lips she still had pressed against the Mord'Sith's throat and ended her languid kiss. When she again let her eyes open and roam Cara's face, she saw the blonde's tongue peak out of her mouth and wet her full lips. In that moment Kahlan could swear her heart was going to jump out of her chest.

Cara felt a heart thump between their bodies. She wasn't sure if it was hers or Kahlan's that was source of this fast and powerful beat. She could see, from the corner of her eye, Kahlan's stare locked on her mouth. After wetting her lips, she bit softly on her lower lip, holding the supple flesh for a second between her teeth. At this, she felt more than heard Kahlan's gasp on her neck. Cara turned her head in the brunette's direction and the sight took her breath away. Kahlan looked simply angelic. Her bright blue eyes, looking at her so openly. Her soft lips, parted as if thirsty for something unknown. Her dark, long and wavy hair, framing her face perfectly and shining with the fire's reflection. The freckles that kissed her face, inviting Cara to do the same thing. All those details where burned in her memory. All except one; the taste of those enchanting lips.

Cara's intense gaze, roaming her face reverently, made Kahlan's chest stricken with emotion. She couldn't deny anymore the attraction between them. It was practically palpable right now. In the back of her mind, Kahlan heard a voice telling her this was wrong. Whispering to her that this was a horrible betraying to Richard. But right here and now, she didn't have the strength to resist this; to separate herself from the only person in her life, man or woman, that made her feel like she could fly. Her mouth was already on course to meet the one belonging to this exquisite woman, when they both heard an unsure voice.

"Kahlan?" Richard asked in a tremulous voice.

The brunette froze. She only had the presence of mind to remove her hand from Cara's face and tuck it beneath her bedroll. The rest of her body was completely paralyzed. Cara assigned herself the task of looking into Richard's eyes. Surely he had seen them and was less than trilled about it. But when she glanced his way, she noticed that he was looking at the spot where Kahlan's bedroll had previously been.

"Oh, there you are," the Seeker said happily after turning to look at them, finally spotting Kahlan's whereabouts. His voice was still uneven and rough due to having just wake up.

Cara remained unmoving for a second, assessing Richard's body language to make sure the Seeker hadn't looked at them before now. Kahlan had her eyes close and didn't move an inch. The only sign that the brunette was awake and extremely nervous, was the deathly grip she had on Cara's ungloved hands under the blankets. Wanting to put Kahlan at ease, the blonde spoke to Richard.

"She's sleeping," the Mord'Sith said at last, her voice not transpiring any emotion. Her training was very useful. "Her back was hurting, I let her lean on me to support her weight and thus alleviate the pain," Cara explained, apparently without any interest; but this close, Kahlan could feel the effort it took the Mord'Sith to control her breathing.

"Oh, that was a good idea," Richard said approvingly. "Are you okay there, Cara?" the Seeker asked smirking. He obviously thought that Cara must be hating to be this close to someone else. "You want me to pick her up and lay her next to me?" he suggested, his voice carrying a hint of hope.

When Kahlan heard the Seeker's last sentence, she squeezed Cara's hands tighter and carefully buried her face deeper in the blonde's warm neck. Making sure the Mord'Sith understood that she had no desire to leave Cara's arms.

"I'm perfectly fine," Cara said hastily, understanding Kahlan's silent plea. "It's best not to move her, now that she found a comfortable enough position to fall asleep." Cara explained to the Seeker. "You should rest too, Lord Rahl," she suggested, trying to end this conversation. Cara used Richard's title purposefully; to remind herself that she swore to serve him. Desiring Lord Rahl's future mate was an act of treason. One she wasn't capable of not committing, apparently.

Richard frowned at the use of the title; it had been a while since Cara used it to address him. "Yes, I should. Wake me in a while for my watch," he reminded the blonde and lay down again.

The Mord'Sith just turned her head back to the fire, not bothering to reply.

Kahlan shifted almost imperceptibly and continued to hold tightly to Cara's hands. She realized that she had to seriously think about all the new powerful emotions surging in her. Keeping things as they were now was not an option anymore. Her attraction to Cara was becoming more evident with every moment the two shared. And what did Cara think about their exchanges? Were these moments as meaningful to the blonde as they obviously were for the brunette? How could she tell Richard about her change of heart? The Seeker would surely be devastated. Kahlan was in no condition to think about all this right now; but she will have to do it very soon.

The Confessor was aware that the conversation had ended, but her feelings remained as they had during the entire talk. She felt herself spinning and her breath was coming erratically. When the sensation was becoming almost too much for her to handle, she felt strong arms surrounding her more firmly and reassuringly. Cara's arms. The Mord'Sith had a way of speaking with her body that always left Kahlan mesmerized. That comforting touch calmed her progressively, until she was languidly sprawled on the blonde's front. One of her hands still entwined with Cara's; the other going to rest on top of Cara's other arm, encircling Kahlan's waist. Her face was buried on Cara's neck, inhaling that sweet familiar scent and feeling the softness of the blonde's tanned skin.

"Are you okay?" Cara asked, her voice softer than Kahlan had ever heard it.

The Confessor couldn't speak, she just nodded her agreement.

"Get some sleep, Kahlan," Cara whispered, hugging the brunette more securely.

Right before she fell asleep, Kahlan realized that Cara's heart beat sounded like a soothing lullaby.

Richard slept through the night like he hadn't done in a long time, because Cara didn't wake him up. She didn't move an inch until dawn came, her cargo too precious to be disturbed.


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks for the reviews guys :D I'm glad your enjoying the story. Here's the next part ;)

Chapter 7

When the sun rose the next morning, Cara was in almost exactly the same position she had been in for hours. Her back was resting against the log, legs bent with the heels of her feet firmly planted on the ground, and a slumbering Confessor snuggled against her body. Cara thought it was about time to wake up everybody and prepare to leave, but when she looked down at Kahlan's relaxed face she couldn't bring herself to do it. _This is ridiculous. The lack of sleep must be affecting me_, Cara thought, shaking her head at her own inability to wake the brunette.

Kahlan had shifted during the night; she now had her right side nestled against Cara's warm front, her head still buried in the nook between Cara's head and shoulder. The brunette's left hand had made it's way under the low collar of Cara's leathers and had lay above Cara's right breast. When the brunette had moved her hand there during the night, Cara had been startled. She had been torn about what would be better for her peace of mind: Kahlan removing her hand or moving it a few inches lower. But Kahlan had done neither. The brunette had just let her hand rest there, seeming perfectly at home beneath the Mord'Sith's red leather.

Cara blinked, forcing her thoughts to disperse. She was about to wake Kahlan when she heard Richard alarmed voice shout her name.

The Seeker had woken disturbed by the sun's light. When he opened his eyes he blinked a few times, trying to grasp what was wrong. When it hit him that it was morning already and Cara hadn't woken him up for his watch, he jumped up startled looking for the blonde Mord'Sith. In the second it took him to discover the blonde in the exact same spot as the night before, staring at him scornfully, his mind ran wild with the worst scenarios. As his racing heart started to calm, Cara met his panicked gaze with a raised eyebrow. Blushing, Richard looked down at Kahlan's slumbering form, surprised to see the Confessor was still resting on Cara's arms. Even with the Mord'Sith still looking at him as if he had lost his mind for jumping up like that, he got up and approached the two women to make sure nothing was wrong.

"Is everything okay, Cara?" he asked, scrutinizing the blonde's face.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Cara retorted, returning Richard's dubious stare with a bewildered stare of her own.

"No reason. It's just that you didn't wake me for my watch and when I woke up now I was worried," Richard explained his concern, noticing with a frown the way Kahlan looked so comfortable on the blonde's embrace.

"You have no cause to be worried. As you can see everything is perfectly fine," the blonde said, sounded boring.

Richard's fears were calmed after seeing everything was okay, but he still was curious. "Why didn't you wake me for my watch?" he asked. He would have thought that Cara would have done everything she possibly could have to get rid of the clingy Mother Confessor in her arms.

"I wasn't in the mood to sleep," she replied dryly and simply. "It didn't make sense to wake you if I wouldn't have been able to sleep," the blonde added logically, with a raised eyebrow. Her expression didn't show the usual cockiness he was used to see accompanying words like those. Cara seemed preoccupied with something; he almost dared to think the Mord'Sith looked worried, something he thought she was incapable of feeling. Or, at least, was incapable of letting it show if she did feel it.

Richard frowned. What would frighten a Mord'Sith? Especially Cara, who insisted on reminding him often that she feared nothing. "Are you nervous about the Confessor on the loose?" Richard asked Cara, assuming that was what was worrying the blonde. "You know we have your back, we won't let her confess you." He added smiling and squeezed Cara's shoulder reassuringly with one hand.

The blonde turned her head to glare at the Seeker's hand on her shoulder. "To confess me she had to succeed in touching me first, wouldn't she?" Cara said smartly, meeting Richard's eyes again with smug expression showing on her face. "And to avoid her touch I don't need your help; I'm perfectly capable of doing that on my own," the Mord'Sith added firmly.

Richard just smirked and nodded his head. Cara didn't look worried now, maybe he was projecting his own concerns on the Mord'Sith. After the way he woke this morning, he was still a little out of sorts, and he couldn't deny that the missing confessor frightened _him_, a little.

With her ear tightly pressed to Cara's chest, Kahlan started to wake up with the rumbling sound of Cara's voice. Feeling the brunette shift, the Mord'Sith turned her head to look down at Kahlan.

"Good morning, Kahlan," Richard said in a cheerful voice as he noticed the Confessor starting to awake. "Are you feeling any better?" he asked concerned about Kahlan's back.

The Confessor was not completely awake yet. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up in Richard's direction, trying to disperse the sleep fog still enveloping her consciousness.

"You should wake up quickly and get up, or else Cara will probably chop your hand off," Richard said teasingly, nodding down at the hand Kahlan had nestled beneath the Mord'Sith's leathers, close to her heart. He had been surprised Cara allowed any of it; but maybe the Mord'Sith was forgiving Kahlan her unconscious actions. He doubted that tolerance would extend to the brunette's waking state.

"My hand?" Kahlan asked confused as she used said hand to push against Cara in order to get up; her eyes immediately widened and her cheeks burned bright red as she noticed exactly where her hand was. She froze, still sitting between Cara's legs, and looked down, shocked, at her own hand.

"I'm going to wake up Zedd," Richard chuckled and turned around, walking towards Zedd's bedroll.

"I'm sorry Cara," Kahlan said hurriedly, sliding her hand from underneath Cara's leather. The tightness of the red leather covering the Mord'Sith's upper body didn't help to lessen the awkwardness of the situation. To free her hand, Kahlan couldn't avoid the inevitable caress of the blonde's soft skin. It was as if the leather was trying to keep the brunette's hand there. After finally releasing her hand, the Confessor could have sworn she heard Cara sigh. "I didn't notice where my hand…" Kahlan trailed off sheepishly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear in a nervous gesture and looking away to avoid Cara's gaze. When she glanced back at where her hand had been, her eyes caught a freckle on Cara's right breast. The Confessor stopped her fidgeting and was momentarily hypnotized by that new found detail.

Cara followed Kahlan's gaze and was amused by the brunette's sudden interest on her chest. Teasingly, Cara inhaled deeply, making her leathers stretch against her breasts. The movement shook Kahlan out of her stupor and she looked up at Cara's face. The blonde had a self-satisfied smirk on her lips and was looking mischievously at the Confessor. Again, heat flooded the brunette's cheeks and and she turned around with the intention of getting up.

When Kahlan moved to stand, Cara tighten the arm she still had around the Confessor's stomach, preventing the brunette from rising.

"It did cross my mind what I could do with your hand, Confessor. But relax, it didn't involve cutting it off," Cara said huskily. The Mord'Sith was painfully aware that this was dangerous territory, but she couldn't help herself.

"Is that supposed to make me relax?" Kahlan asked smiling, looking over her shoulder at Cara's smirking face.

"You tell me, Confessor," Cara said with a playful and yet seductive grin.

Kahlan smiled at Cara's provocative reply, but didn't answer. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest and she felt butterflies in her stomach at hearing Cara's words and tone. She opted for putting her hands on both of Cara's knees and squeezed them affectionately, before using them as leverage to get up from her cozy cocoon.

"Good morning," Zedd said, coming over to Kahlan as she was tucking her bedroll into her pack.

"Good morning Zedd," Kahlan answered.

"It is indeed a good morning for you, my child," Zedd said good-naturedly. "You look happy and well rested. Did you have a good night of sleep?"

"Yes, I slept really well," Kahlan said with a soft smile, thinking back to how it felt to fall asleep with Cara's arms cradling her.

"I'm glad you could rest after all of the excitement yesterday," Zedd said.

Kahlan just nodded her head, unwilling to share the reason why she had slept so well.

Richard approached them with a small sack full of berries. "I just picked this for breakfast," he said, showing them the fresh picked fruit. "Help yourselves," Richard offered. Zedd motioned for Kahlan to take her share first and the Mother Confessor scoped a handful of the little fruits, giving Zedd a small nod of gratitude.

"I'll leave the rest here," Richard said, poising the bag on a nearby rock. "And go freshen up," he continued, turning to go into the woods.

"I'll go with you, my boy," Zedd said. "Some of us don't wake up with a radiant face and need a little water to perk up," he said, winking at Kahlan with a smile. Richard chuckled and Kahlan shook her head with a happy smile.

She was watching as the two men walked away when she heard a voice behind her.

"What are you eating?" Cara said, stopping two steps behind the Confessor.

Kahlan turned around and admired the Mord'Sith's stance; she was leaning her weight in one leg, hip cocked to the side with a hand resting there.

"Berries," Kahlan said simply, a cheeky smile on her lips. She instantly remembered the last time the two of them had shared berries at breakfast. A few days ago, Cara had picked up a handful of those fruits and left them on the Confessor's bedroll. Kahlan had ended up sharing the little fruits with Cara. The memory of her fingers surrounded by Cara's luscious lips when she fed her one of the berries was enough to make her shiver with anticipation now.

"They look good," Cara said licking her lips, her eyes on Kahlan's instead of in the fruit.

"They do, don't they?" Kahlan replied, popping a red berry in her mouth and looking defiantly at Cara with a playful glint in her blue eyes. The Mord'Sith noticed the playful sparkle in Kahlan's eyes and tilted her head amused.

"Have you eaten?" Kahlan asked, fully aware that the Mord'Sith hadn't.

"No, not yet," Cara said, taking a step closer to Kahlan.

"You should eat something then," Kahlan said, without taking her gaze away from Cara's. She was enjoying the teasing banter with Cara; she loved this lighter side of the serious Mord'Sith, especially because it only became visible when they were together.

"I'd have thought the Mother Confessor would be gracious enough to share her meal with a starving woman," she said sarcastically, pointing to herself.

"She is, but the Mother Confessor isn't fully awake yet," the brunette said, shrugging her shoulders and trying to maintain a serious face. "Only Kahlan has woken up completely, and she's very greedy with her berries," she said, not able to suppress a smile at Cara's unconvinced expression.

"But I remember her telling me that she didn't mind sharing with me," the blonde said, lowering her voice and taking another small step that put her a few inches away from Kahlan's body.

Kahlan's smiled widened. Looking down, her cheeks got warmer with the increasing closeness from Cara. "I can't go against my word," Kahlan whispered. The Confessor lifted her hand with a berry in her fingers. Cara extended her hand as if she was going to take the small fruit from Kahlan's fingers, but instead she cupped Kahlan's wrist and brought Kahlan's fingers to her mouth. Her intense gaze piercing Kahlan's soft one. At the same time Cara engulfed the brunette's fingers with her lips, taking the berry in her mouth, she reached for another berry in Kahlan's other hand.

Kahlan's fingers were still in Cara's mouth when she felt a light pressure on her lips. She looked down slightly and saw Cara's ungloved fingers offering her a petite fruit. She opened her mouth and let the blonde feed her the delicious food. Cara's ungloved fingers were impossibly soft against her lips; the brunette found herself becoming more and more fascinated with the blonde's skin. Cara caressed Kahlan's bottom lip with her index finger, watching as the Confessor closed her eyes in delight, without taking her own fingers from Cara's lips. Kahlan opened her eyes sighing, extracted her fingers from Cara's mouth and returned Cara's caress. The Mord'Sith's lips were supple and full; Kahlan was transfixed by their velvetiness, but she couldn't forget that they where not alone for long. Kahlan's eyes shifted to the tree line and Cara took half a step back, understanding the Confessor's concern.

"How's your back?" Cara asked to relieve the tension.

"It still hurts, but its better, "Kahlan answered with a smile. "Thank you for last night; I slept a lot better, "the Confessor said gratefully.

"I'm glad you slept okay," Cara said, looking at the ground.

"Yes, even Zedd mentioned that I look well rested," Kahlan chuckled. Cara just nodded her head slowly.

"Did you sleep, Cara?" she asked, suddenly aware that the blonde didn't look as well rested as she, herself, seemed to look.

"No," she shook her head curtly.

"Spirits Cara, you were awake all night? Why didn't you wake me to let you lay down?" Kahlan inquired, looking stunned at Cara. The blonde had held her all night long, not caring the slightest for her own well being.

"There was no need for that," Cara said nonchalantly. "I'm okay, it's not like I haven't had been awake all night before. Mord'Sith are very resistant," Cara said unfalteringly.

"Of course, I wasn't implying anything different," Kahlan said, her stunned look giving way to an amused smile. Cara just raised a warning eyebrow at her and tilted her head, her blonde hair framing her face perfectly. "Now, eat something more," Kahlan said extending her hand in Cara's direction. "You need to replenish your strength if you didn't sleep."

Cara reached for the berries in Kahlan's hand and ate with the Confessor. After a few munches, they looked up as Zedd's voice interrupted them; seeing the wizard walking towards them followed by Richard.

"I feel more awake now," he said looking at the women. "You should go throw some water on your face too, Cara" he said noticing Cara's tired features. "You don't look so well," he finished.

"Yes, some water will help improve my appearance," she said, squinting her eyes at the wizard. "Although in your case not even the water helped," she concluded smartly, walking away with a superior smirk and not even caring about the wizard's reaction to her words.

Zedd was left with a dumbfounded face, at witch Kahlan and Richard laughed openly. "I'll have you know I look very good for my age," he stubbornly shouted at the Mord'Sith's back. Cara didn't even bother to acknowledge the wizard's retort, which only made Richard and Kahlan laugh more.

"We made good time today," Richard said, sitting beside the fire and looking at the map. "Tomorrow afternoon we'll reach the next town," he informed.

"Maybe there we will find more about the Confessor," Zedd said beside him, while stirring the pot on the fire. The wizard was using his culinary skills to make a stew.

"There were no tracks on the road that indicated that she got off the wagon anywhere," the Seeker recalled.

"We'll see when we get there," Cara said behind him, trying to clean the dust from the road off of her leathers. "I'm sure someone will address Kahlan if another man finds himself confessed," the blonde said turning her head to look at the Mother Confessor.

The brunette was taking her bedroll out of her pack distractedly, lost in her thoughts. She put her bedding down and went to sit next to the fire, opposite Richard.

"We'll find her, Kahlan," Richard assured the Confessor.

The brunette lifted her gaze from the burning fire and looked at the Seeker. "I'm sure we will, but I can't help but be worried about it," Kahlan replied with a small smile.

"You should relax, my child," Zedd said. "Maybe it's a good idea for you to go make good use of the hot spring that I'm sure is nearby," the wizard said, looking around for the right direction.

"How do you know there's a hot spring here?" Richard asked his grandfather with an curious expression.

"This is not my first stroll in these woods, boy," Zedd said. "I've been here many times before," he said with a dreamy look.

"We don't want to know about your dirty escapades, wizard," Cara said curtly, interrupting Zedd's obvious recollection of pleasant times.

Zedd could hear his grandson snickering next to him at the blonde's remark. Kahlan closed her eyes and covered her smirk with a hand. The wizard looked at Richard in a disapproving manner before answering the Mord'Sith.

"As if I was going to share my ways of treating women with you," Zedd scoffed.

"Good, I have no interest in it," Cara said, rolling her eyes. "And I certainly don't need any lessons about that," she added smirking and raising one eyebrow, crossing her arms proudly across her chest.

"You're right," Kahlan said, eyes glued to the dancing flames. Following the brunette's comment three very surprised heads turned quickly in her direction. Getting up and noticing her companions stunned expressions, she became aware of what her words sounded like. The Mother Confessor hurried to explain herself better.

"Zedd!" Kahlan blurted. "I meant Zedd… Zedd's right. I should… I should go take a bath in the hot spring," Kahlan stuttered her clarification, pointing in the woods direction. Her cheeks red and her eyes focused on the ground, the brunette picked up her pack and took off without a glance at her companions.

Zedd furrowed his brow, staring after Mother Confessor with a pensive expression. He then glanced at Cara, catching the briefly worried look that appeared on the blonde's face. He returned his gaze back to his pot, thinking about the effect Kahlan had on Cara. The Mord'Sith seemed to be very protective towards the Mother Confessor. _Maybe __she's looking after Kahlan __because Richard asked her to_, the wizard thought, shrugging his shoulders.

"This new Confessor is definitely getting to her," Richard said quietly. "Maybe you should go with her, Cara; to make sure she's alright while she's there," Richard suggested, looking at the Mord'Sith. Cara had her eyes fixed in the tree line where Kahlan disappeared.

"You do know that the Mother Confessor doesn't need a bodyguard all the time, don't you?" Cara asked Richard, turning her gaze in his direction. The Seeker needed to understand that Kahlan was not helpless.

"I know that Cara," he said, a little surprised by the Mord'Sith's statement and defiant tone. "I'm just worried and I trust you to protect her," Richard said, smiling in appeasement at the blonde. "Besides," he continued, his cheeks reddening a little. "I don't think it's a good idea for me to go… while she's bathing. You're the best choice," he finished, somewhat uncomfortably.

Cara rolled her eyes at the Seeker's shyness. "I don't know about that last part," Cara muttered quietly to herself, looking at the ground. She then lifted her head and addressed Richard, "I'll go in a moment, let her be alone for now. My guess is she needs it," the blonde told Richard determinedly.

"Cara's right, Richard," Zedd said, nodding his head approvingly at the blonde's words. "Leave Kahlan alone with her thoughts, she has a lot to process," the wizard said calmly. He understood his grandson's concern; but he also knew that Kahlan Amnel was a perfectly capable woman when it came to defend herself and now she needed time alone to relax and reflect. He couldn't help but notice the way Cara was in tune with Kahlan's needs and the Mord'Sith's effort to provide Kahlan with what she needed. _Maybe her protectiveness toward Kahlan has it's root in something else, besides Richard's request_, Zedd wondered.

Kahlan was relaxing inside the small pond the hot spring created. It was deep enough that she could stand with the water reaching just above her breasts, the bottom half of her long hair floating around her chest. The brunette rested her back against the pond's wall; the top of her head was the only part of her that rose above the pond's crater. She had fixed her eyes intently on the amazing colors of the horizon, painted orange and almost pink by the descending sun.

Kahlan turned around with the intention of picking up the soap she usually left in arms reach, when she finally noticed, disappointed, that she hadn't brought the scented bar with her. She had no desire to go all the way back to camp to retrieve it, so she tried to clean herself as best as she could without it.

As the hot water gradually relaxed her muscles and a bright full moon made its appearance in the cloud free sky, she forgot the world around her and let herself focus on the thoughts running through her head. She once again rested her back against the pond's wall and let herself feel without worrying if her companions would pick up on her distracted state and ask her what was wrong.

She was worried about this new Confessor, but until she had more information about what was happening Kahlan couldn't do much more. So she closed her eyes for a moment a tried to clear her mind. Unfortunately, she was incapable of doing that; another perturbing thought invaded her consciousness.

Cara's face appeared in her mind's eye. Just that image alone made her shudder inside. It was more than obvious to her that she felt incredibly attracted to the Mord'Sith. Cara had a way of getting under her skin in the most wonderful of ways; something no one else had ever achieved. The blonde didn't even have to be deliberately trying; the way she looked at Kahlan sometimes was enough to fill the brunette's chest with a warm feeling.

Everything about Cara interested her. The blonde's sense of duty and fierceness in battle were the first things Kahlan noticed appreciatively; though that could easily be explained as admiration for her warrior skills alone. But lately, Kahlan was admiring a different side of Cara; a side that she thought impossible to exist. The blonde noticed every detail and showed that to Kahlan when the brunette less expected it. Cara was always quietly attentive. _Like when she remembered that I love berries_, Kahlan recalled fondly.

What made Kahlan more nervous was how she kept noticing Cara's body lately. She remembered how she had felt when her skin had been glued to Cara's as they had lay on that bed at that inn. How safe and peaceful she had felt encased on Cara's strong, but feminine arms just the night before. How the blonde's scent was enough to calm her down and excite her at the same time. How Cara's ungloved hands felt at home in hers. How such a simple thing as that freckle in Cara's breast had left her mesmerized to the point that she had forgotten where she was for a moment. How Cara's full lips looked so inviting, always tempting her to taste them. How those piercing green eyes could see so much in her and tell her so much about their owner. How right all of it felt; how right it felt to be close to Cara. Her thoughts left her quivering with nerves and uneasiness. Kahlan closed her eyes and ducked her head under the surface of the water, suddenly uneasy about the path her thoughts had taken. She shivered as she surface back into the cooler night air, but knew her trembles were not from the chill alone.

"Cara…" Kahlan let a whisper escape her lips, closing her eyes in an attempt to silence her disquieting thoughts.

"Yes?" A voice said quietly somewhere above her. Kahlan almost jumped out of her skin when she heard that voice. She put her arms across her chest straight away, her modesty making her cover herself. When she looked up the brunette saw the Mord'Sith standing, towering above Kahlan from her perspective, on the rim of the spring, looking down.

"Spirits Cara, you scared me!" Kahlan said startled, her cheeks flushing red.

"That's one of the reasons why I'm here," the blonde said, not perturbed in the slightest by Kahlan's visibly flustered state. The blonde had her hands on her hips and her hip canted to one side.

"To scare me?" the Mother Confessor asked disbelievingly, turning around to better look at the blonde; her arms never leaving the protective position across her chest.

"No," Cara replied nonchalantly. "Because you looked distracted when you came here, so we thought that having someone with you to watch your back would be safer," Cara said seriously; but a small smirk appeared on her lips when Kahlan turned back around, molding backside to the pond's wall in order to protect her naked body from Cara's eyes.

"We?" Kahlan asked, her voice sounded drier than she intended. "You came to guard me because Richard asked you to, right?" she continued. This kind of treatment from Richard unnerved her more than flattered her. He might think he was being chivalrous, but he was just implying that she needed protection all the time; which she found more than a little insulting.

"That was _his_ intention, yes," Cara confirmed, but before she could add the rest of what she wanted to say, the Mother Confessor interrupted her brusquely.

"Why didn't you do that from the tree line, then?" Kahlan asked, letting her frustration at the Seeker's attitude show.

"Because you would find me there eventually, you weren't _that_ distracted. And you might think I was trying to ogle you," Cara said, turning her back to Kahlan and walking towards her pack, witch was next to a large rock three paces away. Her tone was serious, but the half smile on her lips betrayed her teasing intentions.

"Why would you ogle me?" Kahlan asked, turning around to pear over the pond's margin at Cara's form rummaging through her pack.

Cara chuckled disbelievingly at Kahlan's question. "Why wouldn't I?" the blonde shot back teasingly.

Kahlan was not surprised at the blonde's come back and decided to continue Cara's game. "What stops you, then?" she asked the Mord'Sith with a twinkle in her eyes.

"You," Cara said simply.

"Me?" Kahlan asked, surprised. It wasn't like she could do much to prevent the Mord'Sith from doing exactly that.

"Yes, Mother Confessor, that would be disrespectful of me," Cara clarified, walking back to Kahlan with a bar of soap in her hands.

"It would be disrespectful because I'm the Mother Confessor?" Kahlan said, somewhat disappointed, gratefully accepting the soap from Cara and using it to scrub her arms.

"It would be disrespectful because you're Kahlan," Cara stated, looking down at the brunette with a raised brow. "You are a very private woman, who values modesty beyond my comprehension," the Mord'Sith explained, shrugging her shoulders at Kahlan's shy attitude when it came to her nakedness.

Kahlan gave a small chuckle at Cara's confusion. "I thought you didn't respect that when it came to women," the Confessor said boldly, without taking her eyes from Cara's. The Mord'Sith had this type of influence on her. In her presence Kahlan felt bold enough to say things like these; which she would be too shy to voice out loud with anyone else.

"I do when the woman in question deserves nothing less," Cara said quietly. The soft smile that graced her lips and the warm look in her eyes, confirmed once again to Kahlan that Cara had a very different side than the fierce and cold Mord'Sith that often show. Once again, Cara let her walls fall a little, as she only did alone with Kahlan.

The Mother Confessor's face lit up with a sweet smile; but before she could reply to Cara's obvious compliment the Mord'Sith cleared her throat and turned back around to walk towards the rock nearby. Kahlan was left so dumbfounded by that meaningful compliment, that she didn't notice right away that Cara was taking off her leathers.

"What are you doing?" the Confessor asked uncertainly, watching as Cara finished the arduous task of unlacing her leathers.

"I'm taking care of the other reason that brought me here," Cara said matter-of-factly while she peeled off the upper part of her red Mord'Sith leather.

"Which is?" Kahlan asked softly, distractedly; incapable of taking her eyes off the blonde's beautiful back.

"Taking advantage of a rare hot spring," Cara said as if it had been obvious to Kahlan. "You don't mind me joining you, do you Confessor?" she added looking over her shoulder at Kahlan's glazed look. "Your modesty will be… preserved by the water," she said smirking.

"No, I don't mind," Kahlan said quickly, suspecting Cara had caught her staring. "I'll give you privacy to undress and get inside the pond," the brunette added, turning around to make good use of the scented soap.

"I don't really need it," Cara said chuckling.

The Mother Confessor rolled her eyes and shook her head amusedly at Cara's response. The blonde woman felt so comfortable and sure about her body. It had shocked Kahlan a little when they started traveling together, but now Kahlan found the blonde's confidence… very enthralling.

Cara left her leathers and undergarments on top of the rock and sauntered naked to the edge of the pond. She smiled when she noticed Kahlan facing away from her. Seeing the pond was deep enough, Cara opted to dive inside the hot water. Kahlan looked in the direction of the splash Cara's body provoked feeling the water ripple as the Mord'Sith shot passed her out into the spring. Kahlan was waiting to see where the Mord'Sith would surface, when Cara breached the water suddenly, a couple of feet in front of her. The blonde's body launched itself from under the surface, her back to Kahlan, all of her upper body outside the water. When Cara came back down, she swam backwards until her back hit the pond's wall. She sighed audibly and rested her arms along a rocky protuberance on the wall, her left hand almost touching Kahlan's shoulder.

"Do you miss this from the Mord'Sith temples?" Kahlan asked, admiring Cara in such a relaxed state.

"What do you mean by _this_? Taking a hot bath in the company of a captivating woman?" Cara asked slowly, looking sideways at Kahlan.

The Confessor blushed at hearing Cara's description of the moment and consequently of herself. She nodded her head shyly, lowering her gaze to the water.

"No," the blonde said promptly.

"No?" Kahlan asked incredulous, looking back at Cara. That was not the answer she was expecting to ear.

"I never did this on the Mord'Sith temples," Cara explained her answer.

"I thought Mord'Sith had large hot baths, where they bathed together," Kahlan said confused, her cheeks were flushing even more and it had nothing to do with the heated water.

"You thought correctly," Cara said nodding her head, but didn't add anything more.

"You never participated in those baths? Is that what you mean?" Kahlan asked, very confused with Cara's short answers.

"I did, a lot." Cara said smirking. "I bathed many times in those hot baths, surrounded with even hotter women," she continued with an insinuating tone. Cara turned her head fully to the brunette, seeing her mixed look of confusion, embarrassment and curiosity. "But in all those years I never found a single woman I could describe as captivating to me," the blonde finished.

Aware of the meaning of Cara's words, Kahlan smiled shyly and bit her lower lip. "That's the second complement you given me since you got here," Kahlan finally said quietly.

"I'm just telling you the truth, that's all," Cara said turning her gaze to the expanse of water in front of her and shrugging her shoulders dismissingly. Then, she turned to Kahlan and motioned for the brunette to give her the soap. Once Kahlan did, the blonde rubbed it between her hands and started washing her hair.

On impulse, Kahlan touched the Mord'Sith's left shoulder and looked at the soap in her hands. "Let me help you with that," she offered and extended her hand silently asking Cara to give her the soap.

Cara gave the soap back to the brunette, let herself be turned around by the Confessor's soft pressing touch on her shoulder and enjoyed Kahlan's hands massaging her scalp. The blonde relaxed under Kahlan's ministrations so much that she let a breathy moan escape. Noticing the pause of Kahlan's movements on her hair, the Mord'Sith knew the sound had affected Kahlan; so she smirked and moaned again, this time prolonging it more.

Kahlan's hands started to tremble when she heard the seductive sounds coming from Cara's mouth. The blonde was simply spellbinding. It never ceased to amaze her how Cara could compliment her and then dismiss it like something unimportant in the next second. Kahlan was aware that that was Cara's way of protecting herself; the blonde meant every word, her eyes always betrayed her, but talking openly like that was something she wasn't used to doing.

"You know, I've never done this either, until I met you," Kahlan revealed dreamily, after a while.

"Done what?" Cara asked vaguely.

"Taken a bath with a captivating woman," Kahlan whispered sweetly in the blonde's ear. The Confessor saw Cara start to turn around. "Time to rinse," the brunette said playfully, before the blonde could complete her turn and shoved the Mord'Sith playfully under. Cara struggled against Kahlan's hands keeping her under the surface. After a short while Kahlan let go of her hold on the blonde's shoulders and backed off before Cara resurfaced.

"You're aware you're going to pay for that, right?" Cara threatened with a smirk, blinking her eyes rapidly and smoothing her hair back with her hands.

Kahlan shuddered under the blonde's predatory gaze. Cara looked like she wanted to ravish her right there. When the blonde started to move closer, Kahlan splashed water at the Mord'Sith's face in self defense. The Confessor felt so carefree, like a little kid, here playing in the water with Cara. A bubbling laugh started to emerge in her chest and she let it go with delight. As expected, Cara gave as good as she got and matched every last one of Kahlan's water attacks.

After they stopped the playful war, the women got out of the pond to redress themselves. Cara respectfully turned around to let Kahlan get out and put her traveling dress back on first. When she heard the brunette clear her throat lightly, Cara got out of the water and put on her long sleeved oversized shirt. Kahlan had her back to Cara, the brunette was using a cloth to absorb the excess of water from her long dark hair. When she didn't heard the characteristic sound of leather being pulled tight, she looked over her shoulder and saw Cara in that poor excuse for clothing that didn't even reach her mid thigh.

Kahlan walked towards the blonde, leaving the coat she was about to dress on top of her corset on the ground. She looked the Mord'Sith up and down, noticing how toned her legs were. _Spirits, this woman is going to drive me crazy_, Kahlan thought, smiling to herself.

"What are you doing?" the Confessor asked, noticing how Cara was positioning her leathers on top of the rock.

"I have to oil my leathers," Cara said without looking up and pointing to a small bottle with oil inside. "Otherwise, all the dust in the road is going to ruin them," she explained further.

Kahlan nodded her head, even knowing that Cara couldn't see her movement since she had her back turned to her. The Confessor didn't care because something on the back of Cara's neck got her attention. She inched closer to the blonde and raised her hand to remove the few blond tresses that were preventing her to see clearly. She smiled when her suspicions were confirmed.

"What are _you_ doing, Kahlan?" Cara inquired, not moving away from the brunette's ghostly touch.

"You have a freckle right here," she said touching a finger to the back of Cara's neck. "I hadn't noticed it before. Your leather's collar hides it," Kahlan said.

"I may have a few freckles, Confessor," Cara said, turning around to face a mesmerized Kahlan. "But I still can't beat you on that," she said with a half smile, letting her eyes trail Kahlan's freckled kissed face.

"I guess you can't," the Confessor confirmed chuckling. Without hesitating, Kahlan took half a step towards Cara, leaving them a couple of inches apart. The brunette put her left hand on Cara's hip and followed with her own eyes as her right hand traveled to Cara's chest. With the wide neckline of the blonde's shirt, Kahlan could see other freckles that were usually hidden by red leather.

Cara never took her eyes off the Confessor's concentrated face. Kahlan appeared to be in a daze, her eyes capturing every inch of the blonde's chest. The Mord'Sith looked down when she felt Kahlan's finger touch her skin. The burning digit was leaving metaphoric scorch marks as it trailed across her tanned skin.

Kahlan let her middle finger start on the freckle under Cara's right collarbone and trailed a line to the freckle under Cara's left collarbone. Always following her finger's trajectory with her blue eyes, the brunette finger crossed Cara's chest to the freckle on the inner side of the blonde's right breast.

Cara was awestruck by Kahlan's stimulating actions. The Mord'Sith had her arms slack against the side of her immobile body. She could only move her green eyes back to Kahlan's face, noticing how the brunette had her lips parted slightly and her breathing was increasing.

After tracing the imagined triangle on Cara's soft skin, Kahlan flattened her hand on the middle of blonde's chest and slide it upwards excruciatingly slowly. She noticed, mesmerized, as her hand raised small goosebumps on Cara's skin. The Confessor's hand stopped at Cara's neck, cupping it tenderly and letting the thumb caress the freckle on Cara's throat.

Finally, Kahlan lifted her gaze to meet Cara's gorgeous green eyes and found the Mord'Sith staring intensely back at her. The blonde's breathing was labored and the expression on her face was one of barely kept restrain. Kahlan felt her heart stutter at that fascinating sight.

"Cara..." the Mother Confessor whispered without conscious thought, squeezing the blonde's hip.

Cara couldn't restrain herself any longer, even if she wanted to. The Mord'Sith lifted her hands to Kahlan's back and pulled the brunette towards her at the same time as she pressed forward and covered Kahlan's lips with her own. The first contact was surprisingly sweet and tender to both of them. Kahlan lifted the hand she had on Cara's hip and put it on the blonde's shoulder; feeling the hot skin beneath it since the unlaced shirt collar had slid down, leaving Cara's shoulder bare.

After that first warm touch of their lips, Cara parted her lips and tenderly sucked Kahlan's upper lip into her mouth. Leisurely, she release it to capture Kahlan's lower lip, letting her hot tongue lick across it when she had pulled it into her mouth. At Kahlan's approving moan, the blonde slide her hand up the brunette's back and buried it in the dark, long, and wet locks. Cara released the Confessor's lower lip, only to deliver a languid open mouthed kiss to Kahlan's already swollen lips.

Kahlan moved both her arms around Cara's neck, pushing their bodies flushed together. When their breasts pressed firmly together, Cara moaned obscenely as the rough leather of the brunette's corset scraped at her poorly covered and sensitive nipples. When Kahlan heard that sound coming from Cara, she reacted by closing a fist around a lock of blond hair, darkened by the water, and tugged Cara's head closer. The sting it caused on Cara's scalp only made the Mord'Sith repeat the same sound, further exciting the brunette.

Without separating their lips, Cara sunk onto the flat rock behind her, pulling Kahlan along with her. The Confessor instinctively opened her legs to straddle the beautiful woman under her and gasped into the kiss as strong hands descended along her back to grasp her behind confidently. Taking advantage of Kahlan's gasp, Cara let her tongue dance over the brunette's rosy lips, asking permission to enter her warm mouth. To her pleasant surprise, the Confessor gave the permission Cara thought would be denied by sucking the blonde's tongue inside her mouth herself.

The Mord'Sith explored Kahlan's mouth thoroughly with her tongue, brushing it firmly against the roof of the brunette's mouth. This act made Kahlan whimper, and Cara smiled slightly into the kiss when she heard it. Noticing the blonde's amusement, Kahlan smiled too and bit playfully on the Mord'Sith's lower lip. The Mother Confessor separated herself from Cara just enough to talk, her hot breath caressing the blonde's lips.

"You're such a smug litt-" she was cut off by Cara's hands on either side of her face and the blonde's smirking lips attacking hers hungrily.

After a sensuous and passionate exploration of each others lips and mouths; Cara started a kissing trail from Kahlan's lips, through her jaw line, until she reached the Confessor's earlobe. The brunette shuddered on her lap as Cara lavished Kahlan's earlobe with attention, alternating sucking and softly biting. The blonde drew her left hand up Kahlan's back, one more pushing the brunette's body close to hers. Her right hand left Kahlan's ass to firmly grasp the Confessor's thick and toned thigh.

Kahlan laced her fingers behind the blonde's neck and arched her back backwards, trusting the Mord'Sith to catch her. Cara was pleasantly astounded at the abandon Kahlan was showing in her arms and immediately responded to it by moving her arms to engulf Kahlan in her protective embrace. As she completely supported the visibly pleased Mother Confessor in her arms, Cara buried her face in the expanse of white creamy skin being presented in front of her.

Feeling Cara's mouth lavishing her chest, Kahlan sat up straight again in the Mord'Sith's lap. She looked down, watching, enchanted at the delicious way in which Cara covered her chest with open mouthed kisses, soft nips and soothing licks. The Confessor was reduced to a moaning and quivering form. Aware of the effect she was having on Kahlan, the Mord'Sith let her tongue sneak an inch beneath he brunette's corset and travel between leather and tender flesh until reached the spot Kahlan's heavy breasts. Once there, the blonde repeated the movement, letting her tongue travel from Kahlan's cleavage to the corset's strap of her other breast. Never in her life had Kahlan felt as exhilarated as she was feeling right now.

The Confessor brought her hands to Cara's face and lifted the Mord'Sith's face to make the blonde look her in the eyes. What Kahlan saw in those darkened green eyes left her breathless. Cara's eyes were equally filled with tenderness, affection, lust, desire and maybe something so much stronger; they reflected everything Kahlan herself was feeling.

Without deflecting Kahlan's gaze, Cara approached the brunette's lips again, only closing her eyes when she felt the sweet taste of the Confessor's lips against hers again. This kiss was less urgent, but no less passionate. It was a trade of unspoken promises between them.

Less frantic now, Cara left Kahlan's lips to go back to slowly kiss the brunette's neck and collarbone; the blonde's hands soothingly caressing Kahlan's back and shoulders. The Confessor sighed deeply and contently. She hugged the blonde's shoulders and enjoyed the gentle kisses on her neck.

As the lustful fog that had encased her mind lifted a little, Kahlan noticed that they had been like this for a while now. Richard was bound to come looking for them any minute; she didn't want him to see them like this, it was not fair for the Seeker. She knew her feelings for Richard have changed; she was not in love with him anymore. But she did love him and didn't want him to suffer. He had to know about her change of heart, but discover her trembling in Cara's arms was definitely not the best way for him to find out.

"Cara," Kahlan tried to draw the blonde's attention, but Cara just kept kissing her thoroughly.

Kahlan smiled and delighted herself with Cara's attention a little more; but then she tried again.

"Cara… we have to get going," she said breathily, with more than a hint of disappointment in her voice, while she caressed Cara's wet tresses.

The blonde gave no signs of hearing what Kahlan was saying, so the Confessor had to be more forceful. "Cara!" the brunette said more firmly and finally got a reaction from the distracted woman painting her neck with kisses.

"What?" the blonde said suddenly in a throaty voice, lifting her head quickly to look at Kahlan. Her eyes found a very amused brunette, with lips swollen from the kisses they shared.

"So that's how a Mord'Sith gets distracted," Kahlan said smirking, hugging the blonde's shoulders with one arm and moving the other hand to caress Cara's cheek.

"Mord'Sith don't get distracted," Cara defended herself, raising a defiant eyebrow at the pleased Confessor on her lap.

"Oh, really?" Kahlan asked with teasing astonishment. "You seemed very distracted to me just now," the brunette contradicted, looking very pleased at this opportunity to tease Cara.

"I wasn't distracted," Cara said sighing and rolling her eyes. "Far from it, Confessor. I was highly focused on the task at hand," Cara's voice turned sultry and a seductive smile emerged on her lips; her arms tightened around Kahlan, bringing the brunette closer to her body.

Kahlan let out a shuddering breath as Cara's arms encircle her more firmly and the blonde placed an open mouthed kiss in the hollow of her throat. She responded by grounding her hips down on Cara's lap, drawing a pleased sigh from the blonde's full lips. The Mord'Sith took a moment to unashamedly stare at Kahlan's perfectly shaped mounds.

"I thought that you respected me and didn't ogle me, Cara?" Kahlan teased the blonde with her previous words.

"I have my limits," Cara said, tilting her head without averting her gaze from Kahlan's tempting cleavage. "And you, Kahlan, had been testing them for a while now," she admitted.

"Is that so?" the Confessor asked with a shy but teasing smile, feigning ignorance. Now that the heat of the moment had passed, Kahlan felt a little self conscious. It wasn't that she felt uncomfortable, but this situation was so new that she needed some time to get used to the intensity of it.

"You know damn well that is true," Cara replied, looking back at Kahlan's eyes with a feigned insulted face expression. Cara couldn't believe what had transpired between them. The tension of the last few days finally had been released in this passionate encounter. The fact that a few kisses left her so satisfied told her that what she felt for Kahlan was something that she had never felt in her entire life. She was used to lust and raw passion, but she could see that although those emotions were present here too, they were modified by something else. Something more powerful. It made her afraid of what it could be.

"Maybe you're right," Kahlan said shyly, becoming nervous. "But I felt so confused and I didn't know what you thought about our interactions. I'm still confused, but now I know that you also feel something for me too. That I wasn't imagining things; that I wasn't going crazy. I don't know what this is; I just know it feels so good and so right. Do you feel the same or was this just a mistake for you?" Kahlan rambled nervously, her hands clutching anxiously at the blonde's shoulders.

Cara was stunned for a moment after hearing Kahlan's tumbling speach. She didn't think that she had ever seen the Mother Confessor so nervous. In the face of Kahlan's uneasiness Cara did what she thought the brunette needed to calm down. The Mord'Sith cupped Kahlan's cheek softly and guided the Confessor down to meet her lips. After feeling Kahlan's grip on her shoulder diminish, she ended the kiss to speak.

"This was definitely not a mistake for me Kahlan," Cara said sincerely, surprising herself. When she had thought about Kahlan in the past, the Mord'Sith had always considered it a betrayal to Richard, to Lord Rahl. But now, with Kahlan straddling her lap and looking hopefully at her, she couldn't remember why. "I've wanted this for a while now," the blonde confirmed. "I don't know what this is either, but I'm wiling to find out," Cara said determinedly, looking deep into blue eyes and noticing that they were filling with tears.

Kahlan had a beaming smile on her face after hearing the Mord'Sith's reassuring words. She blinked, happy tears leaving her eyes. Cara used her thumb to dry the brunette's cheeks.

"We better get going now," Cara said, her eyes never leaving Kahlan's. "Or else we'll be left to starve, because I'm sure the wizard won't wait for us to start digging in that stew," the blonde reminded them of Zedd's voracious appetite.

Kahlan laughed at Cara's comment and kissed her on the cheek, noticing how that made the Mord'Sith smile.

"You're absolutely right" Kahlan agreed. "Let's go then," she said, getting off of Cara's comfortable lap. When she did and looked at the Mord'Sith, she noticed that the blonde was still wearing her oversized shirt. "You have to put your leathers on," she said nervously. "I'll go pack the rest of our stuff while you do that," Kahlan informed, turning around in her pack's direction.

"Is your modesty making an appearance _now_?" Cara asked mischievously, acknowledging the motive for Kahlan's rapid retreat.

"This time it's not about modesty," Kahlan said over her shoulder. "It's about self control," the Confessor stated, winking at Cara.

"I'll have to agree with you there, Confessor," Cara said, putting her hands on her hips and nodding her head.

After Cara put her leathers back on, thinking as she did so that skipping this oiling session was definitely worth it, the two women went back to their camp. Both of them had contented smiles on their faces, with Kahlan's being the most pronounced one.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Next part :) I hope you enjoy it ;)

Chapter 8

As the sun rose in the sky, the day had grown increasingly hotter; by mid afternoon they were all glad to see the city approaching. As they drew closer, Zedd and Richard looked appreciatively at the tall wall surrounding it, craning their necks to take in the fortress like protections. Walking a few steps behind the gaping men, Cara exchanged an amused look with the Confessor beside her. Sometimes Richard's Westland background was incredibly obvious. Though the city was a well know market, a center of commerce with several trade routs meeting at this point, it was no People's Place or Aydindril. As Kahlan hid a smile of her own, Cara smirked openly, thinking Richard was lucky to be traveling with her; no pick pocket would dare approach a Mord'Sith's companion, no matter how obvious a target he made of himself.

"It's the Seeker," a guard at the gate shouted to his unseen companions inside the walls.

"Here we go again," Cara said, rolling her eyes at the enthusiastic way people welcomed the Seeker of Truth everywhere they went.

Kahlan chuckled beside her. Cara's annoyance at people's excited way of receiving them always amused her.

"Aren't you glad that people are happy to see us?" Kahlan asked smiling at the peeved blonde.

"I wouldn't mind if they were quietly happy," Cara said dryly. "But they insist on throwing parties."

"Yes, but parties are always fun," Kahlan said with a smile, refusing to agree with the Mord'Sith's opinion.

"Of course they are," Cara said sarcastically, turning her head to look disbelieving at the brunette. "Like the one on Richard's birthday, right?" Cara's expression grew smug completely convinced that she had made her point by recalling the day they had passed trapped in a tomb.

"Exactly," Kahlan said without missing a beat. "Didn't you pass the majority of the time quietly and in good company?" the Confessor asked, looking sideways at Cara with a teasing smile.

"And almost died in the end," the blonde recalled, with a fake cheerful smile.

"Oh, well, I only said it was fun," Kahlan said, shrugging her shoulders. "I didn't say it was perfect," the brunette justified, unable to hold back her amused chuckle at Cara's dumbfounded expression.

"My mistake then, Mother Confessor," Cara said, mockery still saturating her tone. "I sincerely apologize for implying that was a bad party," the blonde added, looking forward and raising her hands in a mock surrendering gesture.

Kahlan laughed at Cara's playful attitude and couldn't resist stealing a kiss on the blonde's cheek. Cara didn't look at her, but Kahlan could see the small smile that appeared on the Mord'Sith's lips.

"Keep up girls," Richard called loudly over his shoulder. "We're almost at the city," he informed them.

"We can see the city in front of us Richard," Cara said bluntly. She never understood the Seeker's need to share obvious information. They had eyes; they could perfectly see the massive city walls in front of them.

The Seeker only chuckled and shook his head good-naturedly. By now he was used to these types of responses from Cara.

"We're right behind you," Kahlan said, picking up her pace to catch up with the men. Cara kept pace at Kahlan's side and the Confessor turned her head to look intensely in Cara's eyes. Her gaze silently expressed her desire to be closer to the blonde, although she knew she couldn't be; not without being openly _with_ the blonde, and that was so much more complicated. When Cara looked at her just as intensely, if not more so, and smiled with a knowingly raised eyebrow; Kahlan knew her message was received and reciprocated.

Since returning from the hot spring the night before what had happened between them had dominated their thoughts, but, with Richard and Zedd with them, the women had been unable to do more than share constant looks over the fire. After the entire day spent with nothing more than heated eye contact, they were nearing the city where they all would likely be spending the night, and both of them were looking forward to be able to share more than looks, in the privacy of their room.

As Cara predicted, a multitude of people had gathered at the city gates to welcome the Seeker and his friends. They had to endure the people's greetings before they got to the inn, intending to secure rooms and leave their things before they went to investigate the Confessor's whereabouts.

"We would like two rooms please," Richard said to the inn keeper with a smile.

"Surely," the man said, looking from Richard to Kahlan, who was at the Seeker's side. "The best two rooms of my establishment for the Seeker and his companions," the man beamed.

"How much do we own?" Richard asked, taking his coin pouch off his pack.

"I won't accept your money," the man said, shaking his head from side to side and putting two room keys in front of Richard. "It's an honor to house all of you in my humble establishment. Think of it as a thank you," the man said.

"If you insist," Richard said, smiling his thanks to the man "We appreciate your kindness."

The Seeker walked to the stairs leading to the upstairs bedrooms followed by his other three companions. Once they got upstairs, he stopped in front of his and Zedd's room and turned to look at Kahlan.

"Here's the key to your and Cara's room," he said, extending his hand to give the key to the brunette. He smiled happily at her as she took the key and busied himself with opening the door of his room. Kahlan smiled at him and walked forward, passing three doors before she got to the door of her room.

"This is it," she said, feeling the Mord'Sith's presence behind her. Kahlan opened the door and stepped inside. Cara followed her and closed the door behind her.

Kahlan walked a few steps into the room, stopping at the foot of the large double bed. The uncomfortable heat of the day making her backpack seem even heavier on her shoulders, but that unpleasant sensation was quickly ignored when she looked at the mattress in front of her and recalled the image of Cara lying on a similar bed, clad only in that distracting over sized shirt. Kahlan felt warmth lower in her belly, hyper aware that the blonde was just a couple of paces behind her. But, conscious that they had to be downstairs to look for the Confessor, the brunette bit her lip and took a deep breath to calm her rising desire.

"We should leave our things here and go downstairs to see if we can find something about the Confessor," Kahlan said, looking around for a place to put down her pack. She heard a thud behind her and turned around to see what Cara had done to make that sound. The brunette's eyes widened to see Cara slowly walking towards her in a way that made Kahlan's cheek heat with desire, the blonde's pack left forgotten on the floor where Cara had probably let it fall. The blonde had a seductive look on her eyes, one that made Kahlan weak in the knees.

"Let me help you with that," Cara said calmly, lifting her hands to the straps of Kahlan's pack and slipping them down the brunette's shoulders. The blonde did this unnecessarily slowly, taking advantage of the opportunity to caress Kahlan's arms as she lowered the straps. Another thudding sound was heard as the pack hit the floor. Kahlan's breathing increased when she felt Cara's gloved hands making their journey back up her arms. Cara rested one hand on the Confessor's shoulder and moved the other down Kahlan's front, following her gloved hand's descent with her eyes as it passed between the brunette's breasts and stopped at Kahlan's stomach. The blonde flattened her hand over the brunette's white dress and lifted her head to meet Kahlan's gaze. The unfocused and heated look on the Confessor's face as she looked back at Cara was a clear sign of the exhilarating effect the blonde's touch had on Kahlan.

The two of them were mere inches apart; Kahlan could feel Cara's warm breath teasing her lips. The brunette never thought she would feel this much yearning for someone. She felt such a strong pull towards Cara, such an intense desire to touch the blonde, that it was almost physically painful to restrain herself from doing so whenever she pleased. Since the night before, they had avoided touching each other, fearing that Richard or Zedd would notice something. They contented themselves with meaningful looks, but that slight intimacy only did so much to assuage her need for the Mord'Sith.

The Confessor saw a smirk appear on the blonde's face and felt a soft, but firm, push on her stomach. Kahlan was so lost in Cara's eyes that she failed to react in time to avoid tripping over the pack behind her and falling backwards on the bed. The brunette lost her breath when her back impacted with the soft mattress and smiled up at the amused Mord'Sith towering over her.

"A little clumsy, aren't we, Confessor?" Cara said, shoving the pack away with her foot and stepping in between Kahlan's legs that were dangling off of edge of the bed.

"Hmm," the brunette agreed wordlessly, stretching her arms above her head. "Maybe it's because I'm feeling a little lightheaded right now," Kahlan said, looking up into Cara's green eyes with a big smile on her face.

"Is there something I can do?" Cara said insinuatingly, crawling slowly after Kahlan up the bed, teasing the Confessor with her proximity.

"Yes," Kahlan said, lifting one hand to grab the Mord'Sith by the low collar of her leathers, her eyes drifting from the blonde's eyes to the blonde's full lips. "You can make it worse," Kahlan whispered hotly, pulling Cara down to meet her lips.

Cara smirked and let herself be guided towards what had been distracting her all day long. The Mord'Sith kissed Kahlan heatedly and pressed her body tightly to the one under her. She felt Kahlan's back arch in response. The Confessor's hand went from Cara's collar to the back of the blonde's neck and the other hand slide across the blonde's back, keeping Cara against her.

Kahlan felt a shock pass through her body the moment Cara's hot lips met hers. Despite Cara's reassurances the night before that the blonde wanted to explore this… what ever _it_ was between them, Kahlan couldn't help but be a little anxious about how the Mord'Sith would react the next time they were alone. Judging by the passionate way Cara was kissing her, the brunette clearly had nothing to worry about. She let herself get lost in the blonde's kisses and felt her body react on its own to Cara's attentions.

Cara rested most of her weight on one arm, in order to not crush Kahlan as she lifted her other hand from the bed to caress the brunette's cheek, never ceasing to devour Kahlan's lips with her own. The blonde let her hand slide down from Kahlan's cheek to Kahlan's neck, resting it there for a moment and feeling the accelerated beat in the brunette's pulse point. The blonde's hand continued its descent, running it between the brunette's breasts and grazing it across Kahlan's stomach to firmly grasp the brunette's thigh.

Kahlan moaned into the kiss when she felt Cara's hand travel down her body and unconsciously bent her leg to give Cara more room to caress her thigh. It was incredible how the blonde could make her feel this excited. She separated her lips from Cara's to look at the blonde. Cara had an ardent look on her face and Kahlan was certain it was mirrored in her own.

"I've been wanting to do this all day," Kahlan said sighing contently, gazing at Cara with a look of adoration. The brunette was enjoying immensely the way the blonde caressed up and down her thigh with one hand and looked down at her with a small smile racing her lips. The spell broke as Cara reacted to her words unexpectedly; the Mord'Sith furrowed her brow and looked away, making Kahlan feel insecure again about the nature of Cara's feelings towards her. "Didn't… you?" Kahlan asked nervously, letting go of the gentle grip she had on the nape of Cara's neck.

"Of course I did," the blonde said, looking back at Kahlan.

"You look uncomfortable," Kahlan observed, lifting Cara's left hand from her thigh and intertwining their fingers together.

"I'm not uncomfortable," Cara said resolutely. "I'm just not used to this," she clarified in a quieter voice, averting her eyes away from Kahlan's yet again.

"I thought you had been with women before?" the Confessor said shyly.

"I didn't mean _that_," the blonde said smiling. "What I'm not used too is having someone look at me the way you do," Cara revealed quietly, her tongue coming out to wet her lips in a nervous gesture and her eyes still not meeting Kahlan's.

"And how is that?" Kahlan asked softly, knowing that the blonde was not forthcoming about her feelings, but sensing that this was a good moment to try to push her to talk about them.

"Like," the Mord'Sith trailed off, shrugging her shoulders, not knowing exactly how to describe it. "Like you need me," she finally said, glancing at Kahlan to study her reaction. Noticing that the Confessor had a reassuring expression on her face, Cara continued. "Like you need _me_ and not just the services I can provide," she clarified, this time meeting Kahlan's gaze full on to convey the importance of her words.

"I do need you, Cara," Kahlan said smiling brightly and tucking a lock of gold hair behind Cara's ear. "I need the woman, not just the Mord'Sith that is part of the woman," Kahlan said seriously. "Because let's face it," she added to lighten the mood that was becoming a little too heavy for the blonde to handle. "The Mord'Sith can be a real pain when she wants too," Kahlan said chuckling. "When she's being stubborn and obstinate," Kahlan explained further, raising her head to kiss Cara's cheek.

"That's not called being _a pain_, Mother Confessor," Cara said. "It's called being assertive," the Mord'Sith said matter-of-factly.

"Are you sure about that?" Kahlan said daringly, a playful glint in her eyes.

"Positively sure," Cara said with certainty. "See? Confidence in my beliefs," she said smugly.

Kahlan used her bended leg to roll Cara onto her back, ending up straddling the blonde and pined Cara's arms over the blonde's head.

"And now?" Kahlan insisted. "Are you going to admit that you can be quite aggravating?" she asked, pressing down with her hands on the blonde's wrists and lowering her head to stare into Cara's eyes as she bent over the blonde.

"Never," the proud Mord'Sith raised her head a few inches and whispered close to Kahlan's lips.

The brunette smiled at Cara's predictable reply and kissed the teasing lips an inch away from hers. The kiss started slow and sweet, but it quickly escalated into a passionate one. Kahlan's hands left their firm grip around the blonde's wrists and caressed down the red leather clad arms of the Mord'Sith, until she was cupping the outer side of Cara's breasts. The blonde released a deep moan at the feel of Kahlan's warm hands on the side of her breasts, her back arching to push herself more fully into the brunette. When Kahlan tentatively squeezed the round and tender flesh beneath her hands, Cara sucked in a quick breath and bit down on the brunette's luscious lower lip. Kahlan moaned appreciatively at Cara's ardent response to her touch, the blonde's unmistakable pleasure only encouraged her to explore further.

The firm pressure of Kahlan's warmth hands on her sensitive breasts excited Cara greatly, making the blonde roll back her eyes behind her closed lids; thrilled with the Confessor's bold attitude. She was used to being the one in control in these situations, but there was something terribly exciting in letting Kahlan be in control and explore the blonde's body at her own pace. Although, that new found pleasure didn't prevent the blonde from doing some explorations of her own too. Without hurry, Cara's gloved hands left their inert position above her head and took a more active role, sliding down Kahlan's back and taking a firm hold of the brunette's slim waist.

Kahlan stopped the intense kiss and sat up on Cara's thighs, looking down at her own hands on Cara's breasts. That sight alone was enough to mesmerize her, but when she lifted her gaze to Cara's face her breath caught in her throat. The Mord'Sith was breathing hard, her lips swollen, making them even more full. But what made Kahlan hold her breath was the unguarded look in the sea green eyes. Behind the wild lust that was clearly showing through Cara's gaze, Kahlan could see a calm certainty. It almost seemed as if the blonde had reached some kind of decision and was now determined to accomplish it.

Kahlan broke eye contact and watched as her hands slide from Cara's breasts to end up flat on the Mord'Sith's abdomen. The Confessor felt Cara's abdominal muscles flex as the blonde took a shuddering breath. The sound of the stretching leather confining Cara's ample breasts attracted her attention and she lowered her herself to place a wet open mouthed kiss on Cara's cleavage, letting her tongue taste the blonde's sweet skin.

The brunette kept kissing a line along the edge of Cara's leathers, feeling how Cara easily surrendered to her touch. It was in moments like these, when Cara lowered her defenses, that Kahlan was certain that what they were building between them was something very promising, because Cara never surrendered to anyone willingly and freely. Cara's reaction made the Confessor bolder and eager to see the stunning blonde squirm under her. When Kahlan's hungry lips reached the swell of Cara's left breast, the brunette used her hand to move aside the low cut collar and sucked eagerly at the top of the rounded temptation.

Cara's left hand shot from Kahlan's waist to burry itself on the Confessor's long locks, keeping the Confessor's head close to her. The Mord'Sith groaned at the pleasing sensation and raised her hips unconsciously, consequently jostling the Confessor straddling her lap. The brunette instinctually pressed down into Cara with her own hips, moaning deeply at the pleasant sensation the contact caused.

"You'll throw me off the bed if you're not careful," Kahlan said smiling, raising her head to hover over Cara's. Without giving Cara time to reply, the Confessor cupped the blonde's face in her hands and licked the blonde's upper lip slowly, feeling its softness with the tip of her tongue. She grasped Cara's lower lip between her own and sucked it into her mouth, biting softly on the rosy flesh before releasing it.

Kahlan looked into Cara's eyes and sighed deeply, her blue eyes showing a mixture of contentment, frustration, and anxiety.

"I know," Cara said huskily, but looking more steady now after Kahlan's calming ministrations to her lips. "It would be wonderful to stay here all day, but we have a Confessor to find," she put into words what Kahlan's eyes had said to her.

Kahlan just smiled at the easy way the Mord'Sith could read her. It was amazing how the blonde was so tuned to her moods and needs.

"We do," Kahlan said, sitting up on Cara's lap, a light frown taking the place of her smile.

"Are you worried we won't find anything or are you worried about what we could find?" the Mord'Sith asked, following Kahlan into a sitting position and encircling the brunette's waist with her arms. Her expression, while stoic, did nothing to hide her concern about Kahlan's fears.

"Both actually," Kahlan said chuckling. "Did you just read my mind?" she asked playfully, but with a hint of seriousness that reflected her amazement at Cara's astute question.

"I don't need to read your mind to know what worries you, Confessor," Cara said smirking. "I just need to pay attention and connect the dots."

"Well, your deductive thinking is really good," Kahlan complimented the blonde on her perceptiveness.

"I know that," Cara replied matter-of-factly.

"And very humble too," the Confessor added sarcastically, amused by Cara's unwavering self confidence.

"I'm not so sure about that part," Cara said, furrowing her brow. Kahlan laughed, shaking her head at the blonde's quick response.

"Let's get downstairs to meet Richard and Zedd," Kahlan said, although her arms went around Cara's neck, showing to the blonde where exactly Kahlan wanted to be. "See if we can find anything useful about the Confessor," the brunette said, playing tenderly with Cara's hair at the nape of her neck.

"I know you're the Mother Confessor," Cara said with an amused raised eyebrow. "But I'm not going to carry you downstairs," the Mord'Sith stated smirking, referring to Kahlan's reluctance to get up from her lap. This got her a slap on her upper arm from a mock indignant Kahlan.

"Shut up," Kahlan admonished playfully. "And let's get going," she said, getting up from Cara's comfy lap and sliding off of the bed. The brunette took a moment to re-adjust her clothes and comb her disheveled hair with her fingers, eliminating the signs of what she had been doing with the blonde.

Cara got up from the bed too and walked towards the bedroom's door, adjusting the agiels at her side and combing a hand through her hair unconcernedly.

"Cara, wait," Kahlan called, watching the Mord'Sith stop and turn around to look at her questioningly. "Take this with you," she said, approaching Cara and giving her a sweet peck on the lips, before stepping around the Mord'Sith toward the door.

"Not so fast," Cara said grabbing Kahlan by her elbow and swinging her around directly into Cara's arms. "That's not enough," she said with a half smile and leaned in to passionately kiss Kahlan. She encircled the Confessor's waist with her arms and plunged her tongue into Kahlan's waiting mouth, feeling the brunette's arms move around her neck.

"A lot better, wasn't it?" Cara asked smirking, once the kiss ended. Kahlan grinned in response and gave one last peck on the blonde's lips before walking out the room, with Cara behind her.

When Cara and Kahlan arrived downstairs, Richard and Zedd were sitting at a table waiting for them.

"I'm surprised you don't have a well stocked plate in front of you wizard," Cara mocked as she approached the two men.

"Considering the time it took for you to come down I could have eaten already," Zedd answered to Cara's jab, looking closely at her face to study her reaction to his words. To her credit the Mord'Sith didn't even blink, disclosing nothing about the reason for their delay.

"That's true," Richard said chuckling. "What took you girls so long anyway?" he asked looking from Cara to Kahlan, who was quietly observing Zedd and Cara's brief interaction from behind the blonde. Sensing the Seeker's eyes on her, Kahlan couldn't prevent the heat rising to her cheeks.

"A female matter," Cara stated dryly, "But if you really want to know, I-"

"No," Richard said quickly, cutting off Cara's speech. "It's none of my business," he said, pursing his lips together.

"You said it," Cara said dismissively, aware that she and the Seeker were talking about very different things.

The brunette blinked, noticing Cara's double meaning - the blonde sure knew how to choose her words. Without lying, the Mord'Sith had effectively deflected Richard's curiosity. Kahlan wondered about Cara's vehement reaction to Richard's backpedaling, however, when her musings where interrupted by Zedd.

"We're all here now, so let's talk to the inn keeper first and see if he has heard something useful about that Confessor," the wizard said, ending the discussion about the women lateness. He caught Kahlan's eyes and motioned for her to be the one to take charge.

Kahlan walked towards the inn's counter to address the man that was there cleaning mugs. The others followed her, but stayed a step behind, leaving Kahlan to be the one asking the questions. After noticing the Mother Confessor walking towards him, the man immediately put down the cloth he was using and gave his full attention to the imposing woman.

"Excuse me," Kahlan said kindly, smiling reassuringly at the nervous man. "We were wondering if you could help us with some information," she said kindly, smiling to put the men at ease.

"If I can, I'll gladly help you, Mother Confessor," the man said respectfully.

"Did you notice a foreign woman arrive at the city in the last couple of days?" Kahlan asked.

"Forgive me, Mother Confessor, but this is a big merchant city," he said apologetically. "A lot of people come and go. Maybe if you describe her I can remember something," he suggested, trying to be helpful.

"You're right," Kahlan agree. "I don't know what she looks like, but she probably came here in someone's wagon," Kahlan supplied. "Have you heard anyone talk about picking up someone from the road?" she asked.

"That I did," the man said smiling, proud to have something helpful to tell the Mother Confessor. "Last night the old Brejen was talking about a girl he picked up on the road," he recalled. "From the little I gathered, I think she's still with him. I don't know details because I was serving the evening meal to the patrons and just heard bits of the conversation," the man said, shrugging is shoulders.

"That's okay," Kahlan reassured, feeling her hopes rise knowing they were probably on the right track to find this woman. "Can you tell us where we can find Brejen?" she asked.

"He's probably at his shop at the market," the inn keeper informed. "You can't miss him, he is the only leather tailor there," the man explained.

"Thank you for your help," Kahlan said with a grateful smile, before turning around to address her companions. "Let's go to the market then," she said with a raised eyebrow.

They all nodded and walked out of the inn, heading in the market's direction. Richard was scanning the crowd for anything suspicious, his hand resting ready on the hilt of the sword of truth. Zedd walked beside him, his senses alert to his surroundings.

Kahlan was walking at Richard's other side, but slowed her pace to let Cara catch up with her. Kahlan knew the Mord'Sith deliberately walked behind her; Cara claimed it was the best way to protect her.

"Is something wrong?" Richard asked Kahlan, concerned.

"No, go ahead," Kahlan reassured the Seeker with a smile. "I just want a word with Cara," the brunette said. Richard pursed his lips in confusion but said nothing; he turned around and followed his grandfather down the road that lead to the marketplace.

"What is it?" Cara asked with a furrowed brow.

Kahlan cleared her throat, obviously uncomfortable with what she was going to say. "I want to ask you something," she started, looking determined but somewhat nervous. "I know it will probably not make any difference, but I just have to try," Kahlan said, sighing.

"I'm waiting," the Mord'Sith said expectantly, finding Kahlan's nervousness a little odd.

"I don't want you near that woman," the brunette blurted out. "Stay behind a good few paces, okay?" Kahlan requested softly, hoping the blonde would acquiesce.

Cara put her hands on her hips and just looked at her, astonished, raising one eyebrow slowly. The Confessor promptly recognized the disagreement in Cara's expression, but insisted anyway. "Cara, she's a _Confessor_. We don't know exactly what we're dealing with," Kahlan tried to reason with the blonde, but she could see that all she was accomplishing was angering Cara.

"You think I can't handle a Confessor?" Cara whispered irritably, taking care to keep her voice low in order to avoid other people overhearing their conversation. Cara's look was one of indignant fury; she couldn't believe Kahlan was asking her to stay behind. The brunette should know that she would never agree with a cowardly thing like that.

Kahlan knew this was going to be Cara's reaction to her request, but she had to try it. She had to find some way to protect Cara from this possible threat. "I know you can _handle_ a Confessor," Kahlan whispered with a tentative smile and a knowing look in her eyes. Maybe alluding to their intimate moments together would distract the Mord'Sith enough for her to agree to not go near this unknown woman.

"Nicely played Mother Confessor, but, although that is absolutely true," she paused to give Kahlan a meaningful look accompanied by a smirking mouth. "It's not going to work right now. You want to now why?" she asked smugly, taking a step forward and invading Kahlan's personal space.

To her credit Kahlan didn't back off and met the blonde's burning gaze squarely. "Why?" the Confessor breathed out.

"Because as well as I know how to handle a Confessor, I also know very well how to protect one," Cara said firmly, her smirk disappearing into a serious and determined expression. "And not even you will prevent me from doing exactly that," she finished, her eyes boring into Kahlan's.

"But Cara, out of all of us you are the only one who can die… by confession," Kahlan said, her voice starting out strong, but she ended the sentence in a voice barely above a whisper. When those words left her lips she noticed how true they were. Cara could die by confession. The Mord'Sith could be killed with a Confessor's touch. Not just this new Confessor's touch, but her touch as well. That realization shook her to the core. This was not news to her; Kahlan knew very well what her power could do to a Mord'Sith. Yet, somehow, since she had discovered her growing feelings towards the blond and since she had experienced the intense and exquisite sensation of being the center of Cara's amorous attentions, Kahlan had forgotten about that not so small detail. She could kill Cara if she released her power while touching her. She could kill Cara with her desire for the blonde.

Seeing the terrorized look on Kahlan's face, made Cara realize what the Confessor was probably thinking about. At this moment, what was making Kahlan this afraid wasn't the possibility of this new Confessor killing Cara. What was terrifying Kahlan was the certainty that if they took their caresses further and did what both of them painfully desired, she would end Cara's life in the most agonizingly painful of ways. Cara knew this was true, but for some reason she refused to accept it and she absolutely refused to let Kahlan be afraid of being with her.

When Cara had been lying in their room's bed, back at the inn, with Kahlan's beautiful body straddling her and the brunette's blue eyes penetrating her own, she felt whole. For the first time in her life, Cara truly felt like she had something that belonged solely to her; she would fight not for duty, but for herself and for Kahlan, even in spite of duty, in spite of who and what she had been trained to be. Their situation was complicated; there were multiple things they had to consider. Like Richard and the quest, like Kahlan's power and the drastic effect it could have on the Mord'Sith. But even with all those complications, Cara was determined to do whatever was necessary to keep Kahlan at her side, happy. She was nothing if not stubborn, after all.

"Kahlan, look at me," Cara requested softly, daring to lift Kahlan's lowered chin with the tips of her gloved fingers. "There's always a way," the blonde said intensely, communicating to Kahlan her strong determination in those simple words.

Kahlan sighed deeply, but seemed calmer after Cara's words. "Let's go," she said, her face turning into the mask of the Mother Confessor in preparation for what she might soon find.

"It must be that shop over there," Richard pointed to Kahlan, once the Mother Confessor got near him. Both he and Zedd were at the periphery of the marketplace square; Richard was standing on a fountain, which made it easy for him to spot the large wooden sign above the door of the building that identified it as a tailor's shop.

"Let's go there and find out for sure," Kahlan said, starting to walk forwards, closely followed by the other three.

"Brejen?" Kahlan called uncertainly to a man that was carrying a box from a wagon to the shop.

"You can look at whatever you want, let me just…" he said distractedly, putting the box he was carrying on top of another one already on the floor at the shop's doorstep and going back towards the wagon to collect another. He seemed to be Zedd's age, judging from his white beard.

"It's not leather we want," Cara said dryly, making Brejen look at them.

"Oh, Mother Confessor," he said, bowing his head in respect when he noticed who was in front of him. "Forgive me my rudeness, I never expected that you would visit my modest business," he said apologizing for the way he received her.

"Don't worry about it," Kahlan said, smiling in reassurance to the old man. "Are you Brejen?" she asked for confirmation.

"Yes, Mother Confessor," he nodded.

"I heard you picked someone from the road on your way here," Kahlan said. "Is that true?" she asked.

"Oh, yes," Brejen said, his expression becoming sad. "I was traveling here in my wagon two nights ago when I saw her walking down the road, in the direction I was heading," he explained. "I stopped and asked her if she needed any help. The poor thing was crying. Her dress was in rags and she was covered in dirt."

"Do you know why she was there?" Richard asked next to Kahlan.

"She said she had escaped some slave dealers," Brejen answered. "I told her to get in the wagon and brought her here with me. I gave her bread and cheese too; I could tell she was starving." the man said, proud of his good deed.

"Did she want to get to this town?" Richard asked.

"She wanted to get out off the road," Brejen said. "I think she's scared; she just wants to go home," the merchant said.

"Home?" Kahlan asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Yes, to Aydindril," Brejen said.

"Aydindril?" the four of them managed to say at the same time with stunned faces.

"Yes," the tailor said, a little taken aback by their reaction. "Maybe you know her, Mother Confessor," he supposed.

"What's her name?" Kahlan asked.

"Alys," the merchant revealed. "She's at my cousin's house if you want to see her," he said.

"She's still here?" Zedd asked, surprised that the woman was still in the same place after two days.

"I just stopped here for a couple of days," Brejen said. "Tomorrow I'll be on the road again, so I offered to give her a ride until a certain point, since, for now, I'm going in Aydindril's direction," the tailor answered the wizard.

"Can you take me to her?" Kahlan asked Brejen, her expression turning serious once she found that she was going to meet this mysterious Confessor now.

"Of course, Mother Confessor," Brejen immediately agreed. "Boy, mind the store till I get back," he shouted to a young man inside the shop. "Follow me then, I'll take you to her," he said, starting to walk towards the houses outside the market.

Kahlan glanced at Zedd, seeing the wizard give her a reassuring nod. Richard jumped to her side, offering her his always present boyish grin. Cara's face was as stoic as ever, the Mord'Sith looked almost bored with the whole situation. Kahlan glanced at the blonde and saw Cara slowly and purposefully fall in step next to her, conveying to Kahlan with her look that she had no intention of staying behind. The brunette smiled briefly before focusing again on the matter at hand.

"That is my house," Brejen said, pointing to a small cot ahead. "I live here, but I travel a lot doing business. Alys must be inside helping my wife in the kitchen," he mused.

"Did she tell you anything about herself?" Kahlan inquired.

"Well, the girl doesn't talk much," he said, pursing his lips in thought. "When I asked her about her parents, she told me they were heroes of the Midlands," he said chuckling, obviously amused with that answer. "Actually, the first person that came to my mind when she said that was you, Seeker," Brejen said smiling, looking over his shoulder at Richard.

"Me?" Richard asked surprised.

"Of course," Brejen confirmed. "These are tough times we are living in; the Midlands hadn't seen a hero like you in far too long," the man said. "And now that I remember, Alys will probably be ecstatic to see you all," he recalled. "When I asked her in jest if she was saying that Richard Cypher, the Seeker of Truth was her father, she starting asking what I knew about you," he said.

"She was asking about the Seeker?" Cara asked curiously.

"As well, yes," Brejen nodded. "Although she seemed more interested in you, Mother Confessor," he said, looking at Kahlan.

"What did she ask about?" Kahlan inquired.

"She just asked me to tell her how you helped the Seeker defeat Darken Rahl and how you are trying to close the veil to the Underworld," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "I think it might make her miss home less. If she lives in Aydindril she must be used to Confessors, right?" the tailor said laughing.

Kahlan smiled indulgently at Brejen's enthusiasm, but nevertheless traded questioning looks with Zedd, who looked as lost as she did.

"How do you trust a woman whom you met two days ago and leave your family alone with her?" Cara asked suddenly. She found the trusting way in which the man was talking about this woman a little odd. "She could be dangerous, you know?" she said reproachfully. Brejen's disbelieving chuckle only left her more perplexed.

"Woman?" Brejen asked, confused. "Alys is just a little girl, she's no danger to anyone," he said still laughing. They had reached the cot's door and Brejen motioned for them to enter while he yelled, "Alys, are you here?" he shouted "There's someone here who wants to meet you."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

At Brejen's revelation, that this woman they were expecting to find was actually a child, it was hard to decide whose eyes were wider. Kahlan was utterly confused, as was Zedd, who had the most pronounced frown she had ever seen on his face. Richard was looking between the Mother Confessor and the wizard, to see if they had answers he clearly didn't.

"Looks like I'm not getting close to a _woman_ Confessor after all," Cara said wryly, looking at Kahlan with a raised eyebrow after looking suspiciously around the room they had entered. Kahlan just looked at her sideways and gave her an almost imperceptible smile. Then her attention went to what it looked to be the kitchen's door, when she heard a small and scared voice coming from inside.

"Who is it?" a female voice asked from inside.

"The Mother Confessor Kahlan Amnel asked to meet you Alys," Brejen said, walking to the kitchen's door threshold and looking at someone inside. "She's here with the Seeker, the First Wizard, and a Mord'Sith," he explained. "Don't make them wait," he said, looking back at Kahlan smiling.

Finally small steps were heard. Cara's hands went to her agiels, little girl or not, the blonde didn't like surprises. Zedd and Richard were holding their breaths and Kahlan tried to step in front of Cara, but the Mord'Sith prevented that by putting herself next to Kahlan.

A girl appeared, warily entering the room and moving to stand in front of them. She was slim, tall enough that her head reached about as high as Kahlan's stomach. She was wearing a simple dress, with an apron around her small waist. Her dark blonde hair was longer than the girls normally wore in the Midlands; it reached a hand past her shoulders. When she looked up at Kahlan, the girl's sky blue eyes lit along with the smile that illuminated her face.

All of a sudden, Alys sprinted towards Kahlan with arms outstretched. The girl was about to touch the Mother Confessor when an agiel in front of her brought her to an abrupt halt.

"What are you doing?" Brejen shouted worriedly. "She's just a child, don't hurt her," he pleaded to the Mord'Sith.

"I don't care about the package," Cara said, never lowering her agiel. "I more concerned about what's inside," the blonde said through her teeth, piercing the girl's blue eyes with her own. The fact that the girl didn't looked scared at all, only made Cara more suspicious.

"Do you know who I am?" Kahlan asked the little girl, her face reserved. She too opted to be on the safe side. The girl may be a child, but they had dealt with strange things before. Richard and Zedd were alert behind her as well.

"Yes," the girl replied with a serious face. "Do you know who _I_ am?" she asked back to Kahlan. The brunette was surprised at the question and at the girl's calm demeanor in front of Cara's agiel. Either she didn't know what the weapon was or she didn't care.

"I was hopping you would tell me that," Kahlan said, trying to read the child's honesty with her powers.

Instead of replying, Alys stared at Cara. "Could you put that away first?" she asked, nodding at the agiel still firmly held between her and the Mother Confessor. When Cara didn't flinch, the girl added, "I'm not going to harm you," she said firmly. "Any of you," she said, turning her head to look into Kahlan's eyes.

"She's telling the truth, Cara," Kahlan said to the blonde, grabbing Cara's forearm and lowering the blonde's arm. Kahlan raised her eyes to a puzzled Brejen and a woman who must be his wife, smiling to calm them down. "Do you want to have dinner with us at the inn so we could talk?" Kahlan asked the little girl.

"Of course I would," Alys answered with a big smile on her face.

On their way back from the cot, Alys had asked Kahlan if she could hold her hand. The Mother Confessor had acquiesced; watching has the girl skipped happily while holding onto her hand.

They were currently sitting around a rectangular table. Zedd was sitting at the head of the table. Richard and Alys were on one side, with Richard closer to Zedd; Cara and Kahlan were in front of them.

"Alys we have a lot of questions to ask you," Kahlan said with a sweet smile. Once the girl had said she wasn't going to hurt them and Kahlan had seen the truth in those words, the brunette became more relaxed. There was also the fact that the little blonde girl inspired a tenderness in Kahlan that also helped to calm her down. But more than anything, Kahlan needed answers.

"Are you a Confessor, Alys?" Kahlan asked directly, looking for the confirmation all of them wanted.

"Yes, I am," Alys answered, looking into Kahlan's eyes while she replied, to make sure the Mother Confessor could read the truth on her face.

Kahlan looked at Zedd to see if the wizard could make something out of this, but he was clueless. He nodded to Kahlan for her to continue her gentle interrogation. They had found the mysterious Confessor, now they had to find out how was this possible. When the brunette turned her head back to the girl, she stopped at seeing that a stare contest was going on. Richard was looking on too, an amused smiled on his face.

Alys was staring at the Mord'Sith with an interested look, eating her soup without looking down once. Cara, noticing this, stared right back. Since the girl still didn't take her eyes off of Cara's, the blond decided to say something.

"Is something wrong with my face, girl?" she asked.

"No," the young girl said simply, her eyes never wavering. A few silent seconds went by without either blonde diverting their gaze. The others were watching, amused.

"You're starting to annoy me," Cara with a fake smile. "You do know what Mord'Sith do to little girls, don't you?" she said with a menacing smirk, trying to scare the girl from staring at her in that unnerving way.

"I do," the girl answered with a straight face. "And you do know what Confessors do to Mord'Sith, don't you?" the girl said inclining her upper body towards Cara, a mischievous smirk lighting her face.

At this daring attitude from the little girl, Cara started to stand with the intention of doing something to teach this girl a lesson; although she didn't know exactly what she would do.

Kahlan quickly grabbed Cara's forearm to prevent the blonde from getting up. "Calm down, Cara," she said serenely. "She's just a little girl," Kahlan said, trying to appease the Mord'Sith.

"A little girl with a big mouth," Cara replied, turning her head to Kahlan with a raised brow.

Kahlan just smiled at her and squeezed her forearm before bringing her hand to her own lap and turning her attention to Alys. "And you can get rid of that cheeky smile, you provoked her and you shouldn't," Kahlan said disapprovingly to the girl.

"I'm sorry," Alys said, lowering her eyes to her plate. "I was just kidding," she said, lifting her head again to look apologetically at Kahlan.

Kahlan just gave her a curt nod and smiled slightly, conveying to the girl that she was forgiven.

"You're not as sweet as you look," Cara started again, not happy at leaving things like that, but stopped when she felt a warm hand squeezing her thigh beneath the table. The blonde calmed down, limiting her outburst to a twitch of her eye. She looked at Kahlan and saw the brunette mouth the words _thank you_ to her and when the Mother Confessor turned her attention back to her own plate she didn't move her hand from Cara's leg.

"Alys, as you can see, we are all surprised to see you, a Confessor, alive," Zedd asked, trying to divert the attentions to the important thing. "Do you want to share with us what happened to you? How did you get caught by the slave dealers?" he asked, establishing a point for the girl to start.

"I already noticed I'm not where I'm suppose to be," Alys said, sighing. "You're the only people who can help and the only ones I trust, so this what I remember," the girl said. "I was just wandering around in the Wizard's Keep when I heard a man's voice coming from one of the chambers where the old dangerous magical amulets are stored," she explained. "I went to see who it was and I saw that strange looking wizard with a triangle made of stone on his hands and he was mumbling something in a language I didn't understand," she recalled. She looked at all four of them to see if they were following her story and after confirming they were she took a breath and continued.

"No one is allowed there without authorization and I thought it was weird that he was there," she explained. "Since no one is supposed to play with those amulets, I entered the chamber and told him that he shouldn't touch the triangle," Alys said. "When he saw me he was startled and his face got frowny, so I suspected he was doing something wrong," she said sighing. "I tried to run, I swear, but he caught me before I could open my mouth and covered it with his hand," she recalled, getting upset about the disturbing memories. "He said that since I was such a curious girl he was going to take me for a stroll. Then a hole opened in the middle of the air and he shoved me through it," Alys explained, her blue eyes tearing up. "I heard someone scream my name, but it was so far away. Next thing I know I wake up in the woods and two men were trying to grab me," the little girl remembered with tears falling down her face "I tried to fight them, but I was so tired and dizzy, and they were so big..." she trailed off sniffling and wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand.

"Oh sweetie," Kahlan said, standing up and kneeling beside the frightened kid. "You're not with those men anymore, you're safe here with us," the Mother Confessor reassured the girl softly, using her fingers to wipe away the young Confessor's tears. Kahlan was still amazed at thinking of this girl as a Confessor.

"That's not why I'm sad," Alys said, sniffling and hiccupping now. The girl was getting more upset with every second that passed.

"Shsss," Kahlan tried once more to calm the distressed girl. "Here, get up and come sit between me and Cara," Kahlan suggested, noticing that she was kneeling in the middle of the passage to other tables.

Alys went around the table and when she tried to climb to the long bench, she reached for the closest thing for leverage. The closest thing happened to be Cara's waist. Before the young girl could touch her, the blonde caught her by the wrist.

Alys turned her head startled by the Mord'Sith's quick reaction, but didn't look afraid of her in the slightest.

"You where going to hurt yourself," Cara said softly to the girl. "Your hand was going to land on my agiels," the blonde explained her actions, nodding to the weapons at her waist and took them off, putting them on the table. Without saying another word, the Mord'Sith picked Alys by the armpits and lifted the girl to sit her between her and Kahlan on the long bench.

Kahlan was watching, mesmerized by the way Cara reacted to protect the girl and especially the tender way she treated the distraught kid. Cara picking up a child was something that had never crossed her mind, but now it was one of the most endearing things she had ever seen. The blonde never stopped to amaze her. The Mother Confessor sat down at Alys's other side and enveloped the girl with one arm.

"Tell me why you're sad, sweetie," Kahlan asked and heard the girl whisper something imperceptible through her tears. "I couldn't hear you, take a deep breath and say it again," Kahlan instructed.

"I confessed him," Alys repeated more clearly, the pain and regret was unmistakable in her voice. Noran, the men they had found confessed, had lost his free will by the hands of this little girl.

Hearing the young girl's words filled with a fear so familiar to her, Kahlan immediately knew why the confession was making the girl so upset.

"It was the first time you confessed someone, wasn't it?" the older Confessor asked empathizing. She remembered perfectly how it felt to confess someone when her father had forced her to. She was a child too, younger than Alys, and it was always so scary. Watching men lives ruined by her touch was horrible; she had blamed herself and thought she was a monster. After she escaped her father and learned about her power things had gotten easier, she had learned to accept her role and be proud of it. She now knew that her power came with great responsibility and when she used it, it was always because she need to. But Kahlan would never forget the panic she felt as a kid, the fear she was sure Alys was feeling right now.

"Yes," was the muffled response that came from Kahlan's chest, where Alys had buried her head crying and hugged the brunette's waist.

"Listen to me, Alys," Kahlan said, lifting the girl's chin to look at her eyes. "I know how you must be feeling, but I want you to answer me something, ok?" Kahlan asked, seeing the blond girl nod her head. "Was he trying to hurt you when you confessed him?" she asked softly.

"He was trying to take my clothes off and would hit me to keep me still," she recalled the awful experience, a new wave of tears streaming down her face.

Kahlan had to bit her lip to hold her own tears at bay. The brunette hugged the girl closer to her body, her right arm going around her waist and the other hand holding the young girl's head protectively against her chest. She could see Richard clasping his hands together until his knuckles turned white, barely keeping his anger in check at hearing this. Zedd was equally appalled. Cara was the one to voice her opinion.

"We should have killed them all," the Mord'Sith said furiously, her hands closing around her agiels at the top of the table.

Kahlan moved her right hand from Alys's waist to briefly touch Cara's lower back, calming the leather clad blonde. She then returned her arm around the little girl's body, waiting for the girl to calm a little before she spoke next.

"See Alys, that was my point," she said, lowering her head to catch the young girl's eyes. "You were only defending yourself. You used your power to protect yourself from an attack," she explained. "And you did really well, I'm proud of you," she reassured the girl.

"You are?" Alys asked hopefully.

"Without any shadow of a doubt," Kahlan said, kissing the girl's forehead tenderly.

"My child, I'm terribly sorry for what happened to you," Zedd said with a mournful look. "From the little you told us I think I know what happened to you, but to be sure I have to ask you something," the wizard said, knowing that the girl was in no way capable of continuing an interrogation right now. The rest of the question could wait until tomorrow, after the girl rested, but he had to know something to cement his theory. "The fact that Kahlan is the only Confessor alive right now and considering you remember an amulet and what I believe to be a portal, makes me believe that you're not from this time. The question is: did you travel forward in time or back?" Zedd looked at the girl for an answer.

"Well, when those men caught me I heard them talk about banelings and then Brejen was telling me what was happening right now around the Midlands," she added, her head still hidden against Kahlan's chest and sounding confused. "He told me about how the Seeker had defeated Darken Rahl and was now on a quest to close the rift to the Underworld," she explained what she knew so far. "It was like I was sitting through a history class," Alys said wide eyed. "That's when I became aware that I was probably farther away from home then I thought. It feels like I've fallen inside a history book," the girl said, looking wide eyed at all of them.

"Back in time it is," Zedd said, raising his eyebrow.

"You mean she's from the future?" Richard asked his grandfather while pointing to Alys.

"Yes, my boy," Zedd confirmed to the surprised Seeker. "That's exactly what I mean," he said nodding his head, musing about the things the young Confessor had just told them. Zedd was aware that they needed more information about this, but Alys was in no condition emotionally to continue tonight. The best course of action would be to rest and search for answers in the morning. As if on cue Alys yawned.

"You must be tired," Kahlan said, tucking a lock of blonde air behind the little girl's ear. "How about you rest for the night and we'll talk more tomorrow?" Kahlan suggested to the visibly exhausted girl.

"That's a good idea," Zedd said before Alys could speak. "Rest now, little one. Tomorrow we'll figure out what happened to you and how we can help you," the wizard said kindly.

"Okay," Alys said, yawning again. The anxiety of recalling the last few days had left her worn out.

"I'll take her back to Brejen's cousin's cot," Richard said smiling sweetly to the girl.

"Do you want me to go with you too?" Kahlan asked Alys.

"No, it's okay," Alys said, with a more animated voice. "I'll go with-" she trailed off suddenly. "Hmmm…Richard," she finished after a beat.

"Were you going to call me something else?" Richard asked, his smile never leaving his face.

"No, I just," Alys trailed off again, shrugging her shoulder meekly. "I must be more tired than I thought," she said, smiling up at Richard.

"I'll go with you too," Cara stated resolutely, getting up and not giving anyone a chance to contradict her. There was something about this child that didn't sit right with her. It could be her extremely suspicious nature, but she preferred to play it on the safe side and not leave Richard alone with the girl.

Richard looked at Alys to see the girl's reaction to Cara's words and saw the girl had a wide smile on her face, already jumping off the bench to follow Cara. The young girl quickly turned around to hug Kahlan, said her goodnights, and walked out of the inn with him and Cara.

Kahlan stood looking outside the window of their room, her only light was that of the moon and of a single candle burning on the side table by the bed. After Richard and Cara had left to see Alys safe to the place she was staying at for the night, Kahlan had left Zedd and had gone up to the bedroom. The wizard bided her goodnight, aware that the Confessor had a lot on her mind and, as always, needed some time alone to think.

She was surprised at what they had found. They were searching for a grown woman, a possible threat, and instead they had found a scared little girl in need of their help. Although they hadn't found out what brought the girl here, how she had managed to travel back in time, Kahlan knew Alys was trust worthy. The young girl seemed to be hiding something, but the Confessor in her could see she was telling them the truth about the story she had told. Cara must have sensed that Alys was hiding something too, that was probably what set the Mord'Sith off in accompanying Richard.

_Cara._

When she had asked Cara earlier to be careful with this new Confessor they were going to meet, it had dawned on her that the thing she was trying to protect the blonde from was inside herself as well; her power. The thought of hurting Cara was enough to make her chest constrict in pain. Kahlan had always been aware of what would happen if she were to be intimate with someone, but this fact never hurt her more than right now. There was no more doubt in her that the blonde was the person she wanted to be with and the person into whom she wanted to loose herself. But thinking that Cara risked her life every time they were trading passionate caresses scared her immensely.

Kahlan was silently crying when she heard the door close and felt someone approaching her from behind. The quiet steps and the scent of leather were unmistakable. _Cara_, Kahlan thought with a shiver. The blonde put her hands gently on Kahlan's hips and placed a kiss between Kahlan's shoulder blades.

"What's bothering you?" Cara asked after a short moment.

"I was thinking about Alys and what her being here means," Kahlan said with a trembling voice, using her hands to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

"If it's true that she came from the future, it means a future exists," Cara said quietly while turning Kahlan around to face her. "It means that the Confessors line will survive," the blonde said, hugging Kahlan around the waist.

"I guess," Kahlan said weakly. "Then it's good news, right?" the brunette attempted a cheerful voice. It was an attempt that failed because of the worry Cara could see in her eyes.

"Exactly my point," Cara said, raising her eyebrow. "So, since good news doesn't usually make you cry like this," the blonde said, mock-pensively, managing to pull a very small smile from Kahlan. "Are you going to tell me what's bothering you this much?" Cara insisted, fixing the brunette with her eyes.

"I could kill you," Kahlan whispered after a few silent moments, freeing herself from Cara's embrace and turning her back to the Mord'Sith.

"It wouldn't be a bad way to go," Cara said with a tilt of her head. She was trying to alleviate some tension, but Kahlan was not in the mood for jokes.

The Confessor head turned hastily around to look at Cara, directing a strict look at the blonde. Cara said nothing; she just lowered her head conveying her apologies to Kahlan for such an ill timed comment. Kahlan knew that was the blonde way of dealing with her own anxiety. The Mord'Sith would forever hide behind her sarcastic comments; it was an armor thicker than her leathers.

Kahlan lifted her hand and cupped Cara's chin, compelling the blonde to raise her head and look her in the eyes. The blonde was looking at her with such warmth and sadness; letting Kahlan see that this issue bothered her too. Kahlan instinctively let her hand slide up to Cara's cheek and the other one come up to cup the opposite cheek. Cara's gloved hands came up to cover her own. The Mord'Sith joined her forehead to Kahlan's gently and sighed, closing her eyes.

"I hate to see you cry," Cara whispered.

At hearing these words the Mother Confessor let a sob escape. Cara moved one hand to cup the back Kahlan's neck, the blonde's thumb grazing the brunette's earlobe. The blonde then kissed Kahlan's cheeks sweetly and slowly, cleaning the brunette's beautiful face of the tears that were falling from her blue eyes. When she finished with her task, she pulled back a little to look into Kahlan's eyes. The Confessor had a small sad smile on her lips and returned the blonde's warm gaze. A new tear fell from one of Kahlan's eyes and Cara chuckled very quietly.

"You won't make my job easy, will you?" Cara asked in a raspy voice, strangled with the unfamiliar emotion that was invading her chest. The Mord'Sith caught the tear with her lips, leaving one more kiss on the brunette's smooth cheek. Kahlan didn't reply, but another tear fell from her eyes. "Or maybe you just want me to kiss you," the Mord'Sith stated softly, trying to put a less sad smile on Kahlan's sweet lips.

Kahlan nodded her head slowly, her eyes never leaving Cara's and filling themselves with a fresh and abundant wave of tears. The brunette covered her mouth with her hand, trying to suppress the sobs that rose to shake her frame and let her head fall against the blonde's shoulder. She turned her head into Cara's neck, to be able to feel Cara's warm skin.

Cara let the hand at the back of Kahlan's head bury itself in the Confessor's long hair. Her other arm went to surround Kahlan's waist and pull her securely against her body. Kahlan uncovered her mouth and hugged the Mord'Sith back, both her hands clutching to Cara's back. Cara thought that maybe she should say something, but opted to turn her head a little instead and kiss Kahlan's temple. She felt Kahlan relax almost instantly.

After a while of Kahlan crying in her shoulder, firmly encased in her arms, the Confessor stopped sobbing; but she didn't lift her head. Cara felt soft lips kissing her in her tear soaked neck and sighed deeply.

"Are you feeling better?" Cara asked with a small voice. Kahlan lifted her head to look into the blonde's gorgeous face.

"A little, yes," Kahlan confirmed. "Thank you for letting me cry on your shoulder, it helps," Kahlan said, her arms lowering to encircle the blonde's waist.

"I'll always be here for anything you need, Kahlan," Cara said determinedly, tucking Kahlan's hair behind her ear tenderly. "Just don't ask me to put on a dress for you. I only do that once in a lifetime," she said teasingly. Kahlan chuckled slightly. Cara just smile affectionately at her and turned around, pulling Kahlan's hand to bring the Confessor to their bed. The blonde sat, leaning her back on the headboard, and lifted one arm in invitation to Kahlan. The Mother Confessor smiled and tucked herself to Cara's side, hugging the blonde's waist and resting her head in Cara's shoulder.

"My power is a curse," Kahlan said suddenly.

"You don't mean that," Cara said, stroking Kahlan's hand lying on her stomach.

"No, but sometimes it feels like it," Kahlan replied. She knew her power was a great honor and responsibility. She could never turn her back on that and on all the people of the Midlands. But some aspects of it were big sacrifices; like being unable to be intimate with someone without taking their free will away. In Cara's case it was even worse, she could kill the woman. She had accepted that part of her power long ago; even with Richard she was able to push her desires to the back of her mind, so as not to compromise the Seeker and his mission. It had been difficult, but she had done it. But now, with Cara, she found herself without strength to battle the desire she felt for the blonde. The need to give herself to Cara and take Cara in return was immense. She needed Cara intimately, completely… _freely_.

"You're the only person in this world with power to hurt me badly, Kahlan," Cara said, a distant look in her eyes. The true meaning of her words disguised with the topic of the conversation. The blonde knew that Kahlan's magic could kill her, but she trusted the brunette with her life. Death was not the worst that Kahlan could do to her. The power Kahlan had to hurt her didn't come from her Confessor's powers; it came from the love growing in Cara's chest everyday that she passed with Kahlan. The Mord'Sith had never felt that for anyone; all her life she thought of love as a weakness. She hadn't changed her mind, but had come to realize that the prize was worth the vulnerability. "But you're not going to confess me," the blonde said.

"It's a real risk, Cara; or did you forget what I am," Kahlan replied disbelievingly at Cara's attempt to dismiss the situation. She noticed something different in Cara's tone, but the blonde's apparent lack of concern distracted her from asking about it.

"I didn't forget what you are, _Mother Confessor_; but I know you're not capable of hurting me, _Kahlan_. You can, but you won't," Cara said, stressing the right words to convey her true meaning; that she trusted the woman Kahlan was to not hurt her. Kahlan understood perfectly and marveled at the complex and amazing woman before her.

Cara lifted her hands and motioned for Kahlan to take her gloves off. The Confessor complied readily, lost in her thoughts about the way Cara could understand her so well. Cara put her gloves on the side table and started to undo Kahlan's dress laces with one hand.

"Cara," the Confessor whispered pleadingly, although she didn't know if it was for Cara to stop or to continue.

"I'm not afraid of your touch," Cara said softly. "I've no desire to die, Kahlan," the Mord'Sith continued. "But you're crazy if you think I'll let you believe I'm afraid of you," Cara said, continuing to unlace Kahlan's dress.

"Cara, the question is not whether or not you're afraid of me, it's that I can _hurt you_ with my touch," Kahlan said, turning her head to look at the blonde and grabbing Cara's hands to prevent the blonde from continuing to unlace her dress.

"I already told you that you won't hurt me willingly," the blonde said firmly gazing at Kahlan as the Confessor released her hands to finish unlacing the white dress. "And I'll prove that to you," Cara said with a determined and loving expression. When she saw nothing but acceptance in Kahlan's eyes, the blonde kissed her gently.

Kahlan slide down on the mattress, bringing Cara with her, never separating their lips. The Mord'Sith turned onto her left side, keeping one hand around Kahlan's shoulders and caressing Kahlan's hip with the other. Their kiss stayed chaste, Kahlan was feeling her anxiety fade away with Cara's gentle and soothing lips caressing hers. The brunette lay flat on her back and pulled Cara more on top of her, needing to feel the blonde's body pressing against her own.

Cara acquiesced and moved her body on top of Kahlan's, putting one of her legs snugly between Kahlan's long ones. She smiled into the kiss when Kahlan squeezed her leg with her thighs and sighed contently. The Mord'Sith interrupted the kiss and raised herself above Kahlan.

"Where do you think you're going?" Kahlan said, not pleased that the blonde interrupted the progressively heated kiss. "And stop smiling like that," the brunette said while she swatted Cara's side playfully. "Spirits, how smug can you be?" she asked, smiling.

"I love the sounds you're making while I'm touching you, I don't want them to change abruptly because you've touched something else," she said whilst taking her agiels of their holsters and putting them next to her gloves. "And I have reasons to be smug, especially when I put that smile on your face," the blonde said smirking; lowering herself to slowly kiss Kahlan's throat.

The brunette just chuckled and enjoyed Cara's warm lips on her skin. Kahlan enfolded Cara's back with her arms and started to play with the laces holding the red leather together. She tightened her grip, grabbing onto the leather when Cara returned to kiss her lips, asking permission with her tongue to enter the brunette's mouth. Kahlan eagerly granted the blonde access and met Cara's hot tongue with her own.

Cara loved to kiss Kahlan's mouth; never before had the blonde enjoyed the simple action of kissing someone this much. She pulled down on the low cut collar of Kahlan's white dress, trying to get it off the Confessor's body. The blonde broke the kiss to look into Kahlan's eyes, not so much asking for permission as to inform her first of the Mord'Sith's intentions. In response, the brunette grabbed the white fabric and pulled her dress back up to cover her shoulders.

"It comes off better the other way," she explained, smiling at the brief look of insecurity on Cara's face. The Confessor pushed Cara off of her and got up to take off her dress. She sat down on the edge of the bed, back turned to the blonde, and took off her boots as well. When she turned around she saw Cara sitting on the opposite edge of the bed, taking off her boots too. Kahlan smiled to herself and crawled across the large bed towards Cara. Once she got behind the blonde, Kahlan got on her knees and started to undo the intricate laces on the Mord'Sith's leather.

Feeling this, Cara smirked and busied herself with undoing her belt. By the time she let the belt fall on the floor, Kahlan had the laces undone. The Mord'Sith turned around and knelt in front of the brunette, searching her eyes for any discomfort and finding none. Taking this a sign to continue, Cara grabbed the collar of her leathers and started to pull the top down, watching as Kahlan couldn't tear her blue eyes off of the blonde's torso.

"Wait," Kahlan said suddenly, her hands darting to Cara's to put a stop to the blonde's descending leathers. "We should stop Cara. This is too risky, it's dangerous," Kahlan said sorrowfully, turning around from Cara and sitting in the middle of the bed with her legs slightly bent. The Confessor felt the bed shift as Cara got off of it and heard the tell tale sound of Cara fumbling with her leathers.

The Mord'Sith was certainly not pleased with Kahlan's reaction and was probably putting her top back on. The brunette was prepared to hear Cara's voice complaining any minute now, but instead Kahlan felt a weight dip the bed and getting near her. A shock went through her frame when she felt bare skin touch her own. Kahlan looked down to see Cara's bare hands going down her arms, followed by equally bare arms. If Kahlan was surprised to see that, it was noting compared to how she felt when Cara's bare knees peeked at the side of Kahlan's hips. The Confessor's eyes widened when she saw Cara's thighs trapping her between them and then her eyes closed tight when Kahlan felt the blonde's obviously bare upper body coming flush into contact with her back.

"Spirits Cara," Kahlan breathed out, eyes still closed. "Are you naked?" the brunette asked nervously.

"No," Cara said with a mischievous smile, hugging Kahlan tight against her. "I have my undergarments on," she whispered on Kahlan's ear, making the brunette shudder.

"Creator, woman," Kahlan said while she let her head fall back on Cara's shoulder. "You are insane." She caressed Cara's arms around her stomach.

"I'm not insane," Cara said, one hand sliding up Kahlan's torso to unlace the black corset the brunette used underneath her white dress. "I just want you to know that I'm not afraid of you touching me and I don't want you to stop doing that because of fear," she explained.

"And you had to get your clothes off to get your point across?" Kahlan asked, smiling up at Cara.

"Yes," the Mord'Sith answered matter-of-factly, making Kahlan laugh. After a few moments though, Kahlan's laugh died down and Cara could feel the brunette's breathing increasing. The blonde took Kahlan's hands in hers and guided them to her own thighs, encouraging Kahlan to caress her tanned skin.

The moment her hands touched the blonde's muscled and soft thighs, Kahlan felt a jolt of desire running through her. Cara could cause this feeling in her without much effort, but what fascinated Kahlan was that Cara could put her enough at ease for her to actually enjoy this feeling. Just moments ago she was scared to death of losing control and hurting Cara. But now, after a very bold move from the Mord'Sith and the reassurance of her arms surrounding her, the desire to feel and be close to Cara was so much greater than the fear. The risks were always present on her mind, but she trusted Cara to control her power too; she trusted the blonde to protect what she was so afraid to loose: Cara herself.

After making sure Kahlan would continue to caress her thighs on her own, Cara moved her hands to the corset's straps covering the Confessor's shoulders. The blonde slide the straps down and kissed Kahlan's left shoulder slowly. She let her lips travel up Kahlan's neck, enjoying the soft sighs escaping the brunette's mouth. When she felt Kahlan's nails dug slightly on her skin, the blonde sucked on the Confessor's pulse point.

Kahlan moaned at the sensation Cara's lips were provoking on her. The brunette moved one hand to the back of Cara's head and turned her head to passionately kiss the Mord'Sith. She didn't wait long to let her tongue search for entrance in Cara's mouth. She faintly felt Cara's fingers working on the laces of her corset, but she couldn't wait any longer to turn around in Cara's arms. Kahlan stopped the fervent kiss and moved to turn around, placing small kisses on Cara's lips all the time, unable unable to force herself to put that much distance between them.

The sight of Cara's gorgeous body kneeling right beside her took her breath away. By being naked, Cara was not only telling her that Kahlan could touch her freely, without apprehension, but also committing herself to Kahlan; showing her that she wasn't giving up on the first obstacle, even if said obstacle was as huge as this was. The Mord'Sith wanted to make sure Kahlan knew that she was baring herself without fears to the Confessor. Now, Kahlan understood perfectly why Cara had taken off her clothes.

Kahlan couldn't help the blush that appeared on her cheeks. The Confessor bit her lip while she moved one hand to Cara's thigh and raised the other to trace gentle patterns along the blonde's chest. Kahlan let her fingers slide down to Cara's breasts, tracing the swell of Cara's right breast and daring to let one finger flick across Cara's hard nipple, making the blonde inhale sharply. A glance at Cara's encouraging eyes gave her the confidence to keep going with her explorations. She turned her attention to the Mord'Sith's other breast, but stopped to look curiously at the top of Cara's breast.

"You have a mark here," Kahlan said, pressing the red mark with her index finger and biting her lip a little more to keep from smiling.

"Yes," the blonde confirmed, looking down at the red mark on her skin and smirking. "I wonder whose fault that is," Cara said sarcastically.

Kahlan giggled, perfectly aware that her own mouth matched the size of the discoloration. The Confessor moved her hand from Cara's thigh to Cara's side and combed the fingers of her other hand through the blonde's wild locks. She gazed for a moment into Cara's green eyes with a big smile on her lips. She had never felt as comfortable with anyone as she felt with the blonde Mord'Sith.

Cara inched closer to Kahlan, never taken her intense gaze away from Kahlan's eyes. The blonde extended her arm to her side to pull down the covers and put one hand on Kahlan's side to push the Confessor side ways to lie on the mattress. Kahlan gave into the blonde's silent request, never taking her eyes off Cara's body, watching the way the candle light flickered against the golden skin. She was mesmerized by the game of light and shadows the flame on the side table played across Cara's body. When she rested her head back on the pillow, Kahlan brought her hands up to pull Cara down on top of her by the back of the blonde's neck.

"Oh Cara," Kahlan breathed out onto the blonde's lips, arching he back and pressing her body up into Cara's almost naked one. "You feel so good," she said, burying her hands on Cara's hair and capturing the blonde's lips with her own. She kissed Cara deeply and opened her legs to accommodate the blonde's body between them.

The moment Cara got between Kahlan's legs she thrust her hips forwards, making Kahlan moan loudly and squeeze the Mord'Sith tightly with her long toned legs. She took advantage of her position and rolled the Mord'Sith on her back, ending up straddling her. She sat up on Cara's hips, mesmerized by Cara's naked torso. Kahlan put her hands on Cara's sides and slide them down the blonde's stomach at the same time Cara moved her hands to stroke up Kahlan's thighs. The brunette moved her warm hands back upwards, feeling Cara's abdominal muscles jump beneath her ministrations. The Confessor paused with her hands just underneath the Mord'Sith's round breasts. She glanced up at Cara's face, watching the blonde looking at her encouragingly with half closed eyes. Kahlan lowered herself to Cara and kissed her lips lustfully, while moving her hands to softly, but firmly, cup the blonde's breasts. She was rewarded with an extremely sensual moan coming from the pleased blonde.

Cara's hands moved up to take hold of Kahlan's waist. The blonde slide her hand beneath the Confessor's corset and started to pull it up. She couldn't take it anymore; she had to feel more of Kahlan's skin on hers. In the back of her head there was a voice telling her how dangerous this was, but she couldn't focus enough to care. The trail of wet kisses Kahlan was leaving on her neck and the Confessor's hands still squeezing her breasts made sure the Mord'Sith lost her concentration.

"Take it off," Kahlan whispered huskily in Cara's ear, moving her hands along Cara's arms until she stretched them over the blonde's head and allowed Cara to pull^ the leather corset upwards, off over her head. Cara let out a gasp when the corset freed the brunette's heavy breasts, the stunning sight making her heart speed up inside her chest. With Cara's help, the Confessor shed the black long skirt she used beneath the white dress, leaving only her undergarments on. The Mord'Sith then sat up with Kahlan straddling her lap and surrounded the brunette lovingly with her arms. She looked into Kahlan's eyes and let her gaze travel down the Confessor's pale skin.

"You're beautiful," Cara whispered almost inaudibly, trailing her hands gently up and down Kahlan's back.

"_You're_ beautiful," Kahlan whispered back, cupping Cara's cheeks and bringing the blonde's gaze to meet her own. "I've never felt like this with anyone, Cara," Kahlan said softly and kissed the blonde's lips sweetly.

Cara flipped them over gently, laying the Confessor back down in bed. The blonde let one of her legs slide snugly between Kahlan's, rousing a contented sigh out of the brunette's lips. She was holding herself up with one elbow and let her other hand explore Kahlan's body. The Mord'Sith let the pads of her fingers make small teasing circles across Kahlan's stomach, hearing the brunette moan softly. Then she let her nimble fingers go lower, sliding the tip of her index finger underneath the hem of Kahlan's undergarment. She let the bold touch trace along under the hem until it reached Kahlan's hip bone and Cara flattened her hand to caress up Kahlan's side.

Kahlan was shivering under Cara's soft caresses, her nipples hard in anticipation of the blonde's skillful touch. Cara's hand came to rest on her side and the blonde looked up into her eyes with a smile. Kahlan saw the blonde's tongue came out to wet those rosy lips before the Mord'Sith lowered her head without taking her eyes off of hers and engulfed Kahlan's nipple in her mouth. The Confessor instantly arched her back and gasped, trying to get herself closer to the blonde and held Cara's head close to her breast. Kahlan whimpered when she felt Cara's tongue circling her nipple and sucking it slowly into her hot mouth. In an attempt to bring the blonde even closer to her, Kahlan threw her left led over Cara's hips, moaning when she felt Cara's hand leave her side and move to grasp her thigh.

Cara was overjoyed; she could barely believe that she had Kahlan trembling under her. The sounds coming from the brunette's mouth only fueled her desire for the Confessor. The blonde released Kahlan's nipple and traced her tongue across the brunette's chest to give the same treatment to the Confessor's other breast. She then shifted fully in between Kahlan's legs and started a trail of languid open mouthed kisses down Kahlan's abdomen, listening as each kiss provoked a moan or sigh from the brunette. Cara let her hands proceed her, caressing down Kahlan's sides, and sliding them over Kahlan's groin as she sucked in the space between Kahlan's navel and her undergarments.

"Cara," Kahlan shouted, halting the blonde's ministrations. Cara looked up in surprised, but when she saw the amount of black starting to swim around the brunette's eyes she understood the Confessor's outburst. So, Cara crawled up Kahlan's body and laid herself over the brunette, softly caressing her cheek in an attempt to calm the brunette's raging libido before it got out of control. Kahlan had her eyes closed and was breathing hard.

"Kahlan," the blonde called quietly. "Open your eyes?" she asked, combing her fingers through Kahlan's hair. The Confessor released a deep sigh before opening her eyes to look at Cara, fear mingling with the still present lust in her eyes.

"You do realize what was starting to happen, don't you?" Kahlan asked in a scared tone. Cara just nodded her head, smirking.

"Cara, I'm serious," Kahlan said, putting her fingers over Cara's smirking lips. "This was reckless," she said sighing.

"It was also very pleasant," the Mord'Sith said, kissing the tips of Kahlan's fingers. "I never though you were so easily…" she trailed off, looking knowingly at Kahlan.

"I didn't think so either," Kahlan chuckled softly, despite herself. "But it seems that with you it doesn't take a lot of effort," she grinned, but rolled her eyes as she saw the smug look that appeared on Cara's face.

"And I though I knew all about torture," the Mord'Sith snorted. "This is a whole new level of it," she shook her head. Kahlan just laughed. "Don't laugh, it wasn't suppose to be funny," Cara said with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, I know," Kahlan said, lacing her fingers behind Cara's neck. "But it feels good to be like this with you," the brunette said with a sweet smile. Cara smiled back at her and nodded her head in agreement. After a few moments of gazing into each others eyes, Kahlan frowned.

"What's wrong?" Cara asked, noticing the change in the Confessor's expression.

"I have to tell him, Cara," Kahlan said simply, knowing that the blonde would know she was talking about Richard. "But I'm scared; I don't know how he'll take it," she said, playing with a lock of blonde hair hanging above her own face.

"What do you mean?" Cara asked.

"I'm worried about how he will react to me breaking up with him, but I can't keep this from him," Kahlan said. "Leading him on is just deceitful; I'm lying to him everyday," the brunette said in a sad voice. "And it's not fair to you either," Kahlan added, stroking a finger down Cara's nose.

"I'm sure he isn't going to jump for joy, but if you're worried that he will compromise the quest, I don't think you should be," Cara said.

"No?" Kahlan asked, very interested in Cara's thoughts.

"Richard is a big boy," the Mord'Sith said as if that alone should explain everything, but knowing that Kahlan would need a little bit more than that, she sighed and continued. "He was entrusted with this task, so he will be responsible for seeing it concluded. The quest is bigger than any of us and he, as the Seeker, should be capable of thinking about the big picture first, before making harsh decisions over a broken heart," the blonde explained her reasoning. "And if he is not capable of doing that, I don't know what is he doing with the compass in his hand," she finished.

"You're right," Kahlan said. "I should give him more credit," she said pensively.

"You should," Cara said. "Telling him the truth is the right and right thing to do," Cara stated, trailing her fingers along one of Kahlan's arms.

"But I'm still worried about how he'll react to us," Kahlan said frowning. "Not that I'm ashamed of you," the brunette quickly explained. "It's just that we're together everyday, we would be rubbing our relationship in his face even without wanting too, you know?" Kahlan said. Cara just lay very quietly looking intently at her. "What?" Kahlan asked a little self consciously under the scrutiny of Cara's gaze.

"You just said _relationship_," the blonde said simply. "Referring to _us_," she added, an involuntary smile forming on her lips.

"Does that bother you?" Kahlan asked hesitantly. The reply from the Mord'Sith came in the form of a loving kiss on her lips.

"Do you want to guess?" Cara challenged the brunette playfully after ending the passionate kiss.

"I'll say, with a great amount of confidence, that you don't mind at all," Kahlan replied, adopting the blonde's playful mood; it was something about the blonde she adored every single time it made an appearance.

"Maybe you can read Mord'Sith after all, Mother Confessor," Cara quipped, stealing a quick kiss from the brunette beneath her.

"Maybe I can only read a very special Mord'Sith," Kahlan said, smiling at Cara. The blonde tilted her head in agreement. "I'll find a moment to talk to Richard and tell him everything," Kahlan said, returning to their previous conversation. "I don't want to hurt him, but I don't see any other way," she sighed.

"I know you don't," Cara nodded. "But I think that the only way to face things is head on, no subterfuges," the blonde explained. "I don't like to lie to Richard," she said softly.

"Because he is the Lord Rahl?" Kahlan asked, although she suspected the true reason had nothing to do with the Rahl bond the Mord'Sith felt.

"Because he's Richard," Cara said, admitting it reluctantly. The blonde knew that Kahlan understood what she meant without the need to use more words.

Kahlan nodded and kissed Cara's full lips, the blonde's simple words confirming her suspicions. The Mord'Sith though of Richard as a friend and not only as her Lord Rahl. That was the true reason why Cara didn't want to hurt Richard any more than the brunette did.

"Looks like tomorrow is going to be a day filled with important conversations," Kahlan said pensively. "Between talking to Richard and discovering more about Alys, I'm sure it's going to be a draining day."

"Let's leave that for tomorrow then," Cara said, laying down on her back and motioning to Kahlan to lie close to her. "And get some sleep now."

"You're right," Kahlan agreed, pulling the covers over both of them. The Confessor lay on her side and rested her head on the Mord'Sith's shoulder, sliding one arm across the blonde's stomach. Cara held the brunette around the waist and turned her head to rest her lips on the top of Kahlan's head. The combined warmth of their bodies lulling both women to sleep.

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews, they are always appreciated ;) The next chapter is in the making, so it's going to take a little longer for me to post.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Thanks to all of you that commented. I'm glad that you're liking the story, hope you enjoy this next chapter :D

Chapter 10

Kahlan woke up and opened her eyes to a mass of blonde hair in the pillow next to her. The sight brought a sweet smile to her face and she sleepily moved her head to look at the window and ascertain what time it was. Kahlan smiled when she discovered that she still had a little time before dawn. The sun was hinting at its appearance, but there was no need to rush. The brunette moved her head back to gaze at woman laying beside her. Cara was sleeping on her stomach, hands tucked under her pillow and head turned away from Kahlan. The Confessor had one arm draped over the blonde's naked lower back and one of her legs tangled with Cara's. The blankets, which had been covering them when she went to sleep, had slipped down to their waists during the night, giving Kahlan a beautiful view of Cara's back in the predawn light.

Kahlan sighed and laid her head back on her pillow. She looked down at her own bare upper body and blushed, feeling a little embarrassed even with Cara sleeping. The brunette was surprised and yet comfortable with what had happened the night before. She was sure that if it had been anyone else doing what Cara had done, taking off her clothing like that, the Confessor would have felt like they where forcing her hand, making her take a step she was not ready to take. But Cara had made her feel safe and calm in the middle of the tornado that had been her nerves and fears.

Kahlan raised herself on one elbow to be able to peek at Cara's face and smiled. The Mord'Sith had a relaxed expression that was not very common to see if she was awake. A lock of blonde hair was sticking to the Mord'Sith's lips and Kahlan lifted her hand from Cara's waist to tuck the golden tress behind Cara's ear. This action made the blonde stir, but surprisingly Cara didn't wake up.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to touch, Kahlan let her fingers glide down Cara's back, watching as the Mord'Sith took a deep breath, but still didn't open her eyes. Kahlan didn't want to awake the blonde, but she felt a sudden giddiness that compelled her to touch Cara. So the brunette let her fingers wander over the expanse of Cara's back, tracing random patterns. She brushed her fingers up the blonde's back until she reached Cara's shoulder and leaned across the blond to continued to caress the blonde's arm down to her elbow, were it disappeared beneath the pillow.

The Confessor yelped suddenly, startled by the quick movement of the arm she was caressing as Cara's hand shot back and grabbed Kahlan's wrist, pulling the brunette's arm to slide under the pillow and thus, forcing Kahlan to lie on top of her back.

"You startled me," Kahlan said with a nervous chuckle, her heart still racing from the scare. Cara just lay still, the rise and fall of her chest against Kahlan deep and slow, not giving any indication that she was awake. "Cara, are you awake?" the brunette asked next to the blonde's ear after a few moments of silence.

"No," the Mord'Sith answered, making Kahlan laugh softly. The Confessor started to nibble on Cara's tender earlobe, unconsciously pressing her naked breasts onto Cara's back and feeling Cara press her backside into the brunette's hips. "Now I'm starting to wake up," the Mord'Sith said in a moan and sighed deeply. The blonde released Kahlan's hand beneath her pillow and started to roll on her back.

Noticing Cara's attempt at motion, the brunette slid back, giving her room to turn over. Holding herself up in on elbow, Kahlan pulled the sheet up to cover her chest. The Confessor felt a little foolish for it, but she felt self-conscious to be naked despite the fact that Cara was the one responsible for her state of undress. The romantic candle light of the night before helped her overcome her inhibitions and Cara's gentle touches had made her forget any awkwardness she felt. But, no longer in the moment, and not nearly as comfortable with her body as the Mord'Sith seemed to be, Kahlan reacted out of shyness.

Cara settled herself on her back and stretched her body, feeling the slight chill air of the morning on her bare upper body. She turned her head to look at Kahlan and saw the Confessor was nervously looking down, a blush tinting her cheeks and one hand clutching the sheet over her chest. This brought an amused smile to Cara's lips; since the blonde could still feel the heat of the Confessor's lips on her ear and the teasing touch of the brunette's nipples on her back, she privately found Kahlan's sudden shyness highly endearing.

"Are you cold?" Cara asked, teasingly.

"The nights tend to be cold, you know?" Kahlan said, blushing even more and not lifting her gaze to meet Cara's. She felt foolish that Cara had noticed her timidity but was unable to make herself let the sheet go.

"Not this night," Cara said, smiling. "I'm not cold," she added mischievously, enjoying Kahlan's shyness.

"You're unique," Kahlan said, looking up at Cara. "You're body is always warm. It's like you have an internal source of heat," the brunette said with amazement, her shyness fading as her eyes swept Cara's body.

"That's true," Cara agreed with a nod, her smile turning into an even more mischievous grin. "So don't you think it would be smarter for you to get closer to me instead of using that thin sheet for warmth?" she asked teasingly, moving slowly, but decisively, towards the Confessor.

"It probably would be more effective," Kahlan agreed laying back down on the bed, her hand letting go of its grip on the sheet and rising to comb through Cara's hair while the Mord'Sith hovered over her.

"Let's see," Cara said huskily, pulling the sheet away and taking its place. She found herself holding her breath at the exciting contact of her bare flesh against Kahlan's.

Kahlan closed her eyes with a sigh, smiling and letting herself relax against Cara's skin as she basked in the warmth the blonde emanated.

"See? I'm a much better option, judging by the smile on your face," Cara said smugly, tracing a line up Kahlan's arm with her fingers.

"What makes you think you're the one that put a smile on my face?" Kahlan asked, looking at the blonde and forcing her face into a serious expression.

Cara looked down at her with an amused expression, one eyebrow raised, and then lowered her head to place an open mouthed kiss on Kahlan's neck, just below her ear. Kahlan moaned softly, burying her hand in the Mord'Sith's golden locks. Cara let her tongue and lips trace a wet path down Kahlan's jaw, ending with a kiss in the corner of the brunette's now smiling lips.

"You were saying?" the blonde asked playfully, meaningfully brushing her fingers against the wide and pleased smile Kahlan had on her lips.

"I've never met someone as smug as you," Kahlan said, lacing her arms behind Cara's neck. "But I love it," the brunette whispered before she pulled Cara's lips down towards her own.

The two shared a long and unhurried kiss, both taking the time to tenderly explore the other woman's mouth. The sensation of their nipples grazing each other's skins at the smallest of movements only added to the feel of intimacy between them.

"So you have no problem admitting that?" Cara said, moving her lips to trail kisses down Kahlan's neck as she slide one hand down the brunette's side.

"No problem at all," Kahlan said readily, greatly enjoying Cara's slow kisses on her throat. "I actually find it really cute," she finished, struggling to hold her laugh when she felt Cara's annoyed sigh on her skin. As expected, the blonde didn't appreciate Kahlan's attempt at a compliment. Cara was about to lift her head from Kahlan's shoulder to tell her exactly what she thought about Kahlan's opinion, when the Confessor's voice stopped her.

"And now comes the best," Kahlan whispered amused.

"What do you mean by that?" Cara said petulantly, fixing at the brunette with an inquisitive look.

"I mean this kissable pout on your lips," Kahlan said, biting playfully on Cara's protruding lower lip.

"Are you done talking nonsense?" Cara asked dryly, trying to hide the huskiness in her tone, making Kahlan laugh.

"It's not nonsense, " Kahlan said, chuckling. "But I'll stop now," she promised, pursing her lips together tightly.

"You don't have to close your mouth like that, though," Cara said insinuatingly, relaxing Kahlan's lips by gently tracing her fingers over them and slipping a finger between them. "You can be silent and still put your mouth to good use," she whispered, removing her hand and capturing Kahlan's lips in a languid kiss, feeling the Confessor's fingers start to massage her scalp.

The kiss didn't take long to grow in passion, exciting Kahlan and making her acutely aware of the great expanse of her skin that was in contact with Cara's. The Mord'Sith kissed her with such passion and abandon; it was like the blonde's sole purpose was making Kahlan melt under her touch. Kahlan truly enjoyed being this intimate with Cara; not only physically, which was thrilling by itself, but also emotionally. Their emotional connection significantly enhanced Kahlan's desire for the blonde.

"We need to stop, before we get carried away," Kahlan said breathlessly, pulling her lips briefly away from Cara's.

"Let's not worry about that just yet," Cara replied hotly, letting one thigh slide between Kahlan's, making the Confessor groan.

Kahlan arched her back rocking her hips into the pleasurable pressure between her legs and sucked Cara's tongue into her mouth. The Confessor moved her hands to the blonde's back, sinking her nails on Cara's shoulder blades and making the Mord'Sith hiss in pleasure. They traded a few more heated kisses until Kahlan moved her hands to the blonde's shoulders and kindly pushed the Mord'Sith away from her. The Confessor saw a disappointed look on Cara's face and smiled sadly at the blonde; but after only a second that disappointed look transformed into a mischievous one.

"Okay," Cara agreed, but the expression on her face made Kahlan suspicious. "Let me grab my agiels and gloves and get dressed," the blonde said, looking at the side table on Kahlan's side of the bed.

Kahlan found the reason for the blonde's mischievous expression when Cara straddle her, grinding her hips onto Kahlan's, letting out a soft moan. Kahlan bit her lip and whimpered, watching awestruck as Cara leaned towards the table to retrieve her gloves and weapons. The sight of Cara's lean body, combined with the blonde's weight pressing onto her and the warmth radiating from Cara's core, made Kahlan loose her self imposed restrain. The Confessor moved her hands to cup Cara's cheeks and pulled the blonde to meet her lips once again.

Cara eagerly accepted the kiss, gloves and agiels forgotten, opening her mouth to deepen it. She repositioned her legs, moving one of them back in between Kahlan's as she straddled one of the brunette's legs. Instinctively, the Mord'Sith started a slow rocking motion, feeling Kahlan respond by grinding on the flexing muscles of Cara's thigh. Unrestrained desire clouded both of their minds. Cara was vaguely aware that they were going down a dangerous road again, but the Confessor ignited something different within her. The Mord'Sith was familiar with lust, but with Kahlan the lust was somehow intertwined with something else. Cara was finding she was hungry not only for Kahlan's perfect body, but also for the emotional way Kahlan responded to her touch; the way Kahlan looked at her, eyes full of desire and longing, the way Kahlan would moan and shiver with every kiss or touch from Cara. The Confessor's reactions made Cara crave everything that was Kahlan. Without stopping the increasing rocking motion, Cara left the brunette's kiss and dragged her lips up Kahlan's jaw to nibble the brunette's earlobe.

"I want you, Kahlan," Cara whispered hotly with a hint of desperation in her voice, thrusting her tight firmly against Kahlan's center.

The Confessor let out a hissed breath at the firm contact of her center with Cara's thigh, arching her back, pressing into the blonde. Cara's words and the fervor that the brunette could perceive in her voice, made her lower belly tingle with desire that spread through her whole body like liquid fire. Cara made her feel wanted and cherished in a way that she had never known before. But the feeling that made her chest expand with love, also made it constrict with sadness, because they couldn't consummate all that they felt for each other.

"I want you too," Kahlan responded heartfeltly, turning her head to kiss Cara's lips before she put some distance between their faces and shook her head sadly, conveying to Cara that even if both of them wanted this ferociously, it couldn't happen. Kahlan's heart skipped a beat when she watched a resolute expression appear on Cara's beautiful face.

"I can't accept that," Cara said irritably, shaking her head with a furrowed brow. "When you're about to release your power, I'll move away," the blonde said hurriedly, moving her hand to caress Kahlan's cheek. "If you're not touching me you can't confess me," she said with a victorious smile. But that smile faded away when she didn't saw a similar expression on Kahlan's face. She looked at the Confessor with an inquisitive and confused gaze.

"The release of my power when I…_you know_… It's different from when I focus it on someone," Kahlan explained sadly, rubbing her hands soothingly up and down Cara's back. "It's uncontrolled, it oozes off of me without me being able to direct it," she said, her voice cracking with sadness.

"I don't understand," Cara said confused, continuing to stroke Kahlan's cheek.

"You have already stood next to me while I was confessing someone. You didn't feel anything, right?" Kahlan asked, trying a new way to make the blonde understand. At Cara's shake of the head she continued. "That's because I'm aiming my power to the person I'm touching. But when I don't have a target it shoots in all directions," she explained. "The closest thing I can compare it too is the Con Dar; I confessed people without touching them when I was in the Con Dar," she said, seeing the surprised and incredulous look on Cara's face.

"But when you are in the Con Dar it's because your mad with rage," the blonde said, puzzled. "I don't think you're going to be mad at me for the things I'll do to you." Cara smirked.

Kahlan couldn't hold the chuckle at Cara's confident words, but it was clear that the blonde didn't understand clearly the point she was trying to make. "Of course, when I'm in the Con Dar it's the uncontrolled rage allows me to confess without touch, but what I'm trying to say is that I have no control over my power in both cases. This means that my power is undirected and flows off of me without guidance; and if I can confess people without touching them when I'm in the Con Dar, when I'm blind with rage, the same could happen when I'm clouded with lust," Kahlan said, looking into Cara's eyes in search of understanding. "I'm afraid that it would affect you. I can't risk it, I can risk you, Cara," Kahlan said, moving one hand to caress Cara's warm cheek.

"I understand," Cara said, nodding. "But you still haven't convinced me." She kissed Kahlan's cheek, smiling at the brunette's bewildered expression.

"Didn't you hear a word I just said, Cara?" Kahlan asked completely stunned at the blonde's reaction.

"I did," Cara said nonchalantly. "It makes sense, but it doesn't worry me," she said, shooting a smile Kahlan's way and untangling herself from the Confessor to get up from the bed. She turned around and was about to sling her legs off of the bed when Kahlan stopped her.

The Confessor grabbed Cara's upper arm, preventing the blonde from leaving the bed. Her mouth moved soundlessly; she wanted to say something to the blonde to change her mind, yell at her for being so careless, and kiss her for being so endearingly stubborn.

"Close your mouth, you look like a fish," Cara chuckled while using her fingers to gently close Kahlan's hanging jaw. The Mord'Sith kissed the brunette's lips one more time and got up to retrieve her leathers from the floor.

"But Cara, you don't understand," Kahlan began to argue, but an involuntary smile crept to her lips, which did nothing to support her protest.

"I do understand, Kahlan," Cara said, cutting the Confessor off. "I may not be as knowledgeable about magic as Zedd is; all I know is that when I want something, I find a way to get it," she said simply, her eyes searching the floor for her leathers. "And never in my life did I want something as much as I want to be with you, so I'll be dead before I give up on you," she said firmly, gathering her leathers against her chest and looking intensely at Kahlan.

Kahlan's eyes welled up with tears hearing the passionate way in which Cara spoke. The brunette never imagined that she would ever hear Cara utter words like those, leaving no doubt that the Mord'Sith was completely committed to being with Kahlan. Kahlan sniffled quietly, as a tear made its way down her cheek. She watched as Cara approached her and, like the night before, used her fingers to dry Kahlan's tears. The Confessor smiled brightly at the blonde, trading a look of complete trust and naked devotion.

"I'll go freshen up," Cara said, after pecking Kahlan sweetly on the lips.

"Do you want me to go downstairs and ask for heated water for you," Kahlan called attentively to the retreating blonde.

"No, thanks, it's better if the water is cold," the blonde replied, looking over her shoulder at Kahlan with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh," was all the brunette managed to say.

"And cover yourself, Kahlan," Cara said teasingly, walking towards the basin behind the screen that divided the room and pouring some water from the pitcher beside it. "Or I'll have to get back there and we won't leave this room any time soon," she said, the smirk evident in her voice.

Kahlan looked down at her practically naked body, her breasts slightly covered by her hair, and laughed. The brunette let herself fall down on the bed with a contented sigh, bending her knees with her feet planted on the mattress and then focused her attention on her thigh, as the sun's light reflected from a glistening spot there. _Creator help me_, she thought closing her eyes and smiling at the recognition of what, exactly, was the wetness on her leg that moments prior had been in contact with Cara's center.

* * *

Cara and Kahlan packed their things and went downstairs to eat breakfast. Zedd and Richard were already sitting at a table eating.

"Good morning," Richard said to both women with a happy smile.

"Good morning," Kahlan said smiling at Richard and nodding in Zedd's direction too. Cara only gave a grunt and sat down in front of Richard, helping herself to some bread and cheese. Kahlan sat next to the blonde and took some food too.

"What's the plan regarding Alys?" Richard asked after a few silent moments.

"We can't leave her alone without helping her," Kahlan said. "What are your thoughts Zedd?"

"I think I know of the amulet that probably brought her here," Zedd said, his brow furrowed in thought. "She mentioned a triangle made of stone; there is an amulet like that called the Triangle of Anuyr. It allows time travel for those who possess magical powers," he explained looking at the others.

"So only wizards can use it?" Cara asked.

"Not only wizards, I believe that the triangle can be used by anyone who possesses some kind of magic," Zedd clarified. "But controlling the magic of the amulet would require a great amount of power, so wizards and sorceresses are the ones that can use the amulet effectively." He paused. "Any other person, even if possessing power, like a Confessor for example," he said looking at Kahlan. "Would most likely be unable to control in which time they would appear and could even be harmed in the process."

"Alys said she saw a wizard with the triangle," Richard recalled. "He was the one who pushed her into the hole the amulet created."

"Yes, my boy," Zedd agreed. "I believe that the wizard Alys mentioned was the one who opened a portal to our time and, for some reason, threw Alys in it," the wizard grimaced in frustration at the possible motives someone could have to throw a child confessor back in time.

"Maybe it was because she can't stop talking and thinks that's she's so smart," Cara said dryly, making Richard choke on his food and start laughing. Intrigued, Kahlan looked between the laughing Seeker and the annoyed Mord'Sith glaring at him. Zedd was smiling, with a knowing look on his face.

"Did I miss something?" Kahlan asked, her eyes searching her friends faces and landing on Cara's sulking expression.

"I see that Cara didn't tell you what happened last night when we brought Alys to Brejen's cot?" Richard asked Kahlan, noticing how Cara huffed and rolled her eyes beside the Confessor. "Alys seems very comfortable around Mord'Sith," Richard said smirking and looking at Cara with a teasing expression.

"What happened?" Kahlan asked, trying to catch Cara's eyes, but the Mord'Sith was staring at her plate so she turned to Richard.

"This is what happened," Richard said still laughing.

_Richard was leading Alys by the hand towards Brejen's cot as Cara followed two steps behind them, constantly dismissing Alys attempts to engage the Mord'Sith in conversation. The moon was already out, but with the help of the various torches that illuminated the city paths, Richard could see the bored expression on Cara's face when he glanced back at her._

"_Here we are," Richard said as he stopped in front of Brejen's cot. "You have a good night and we'll come back here to see you in the morning, okay?" the Seeker gently said to the small girl. _

"_Okay," Alys said, nodding her head with a big smile on her face. The young Confessor tugged on Richard's sleeve and once he knelt to see what she wanted, she gave him a small peck on the cheek. "Good night," Alys said and turned her head to look expectantly at Cara._

_The Mord'Sith watched the interaction between Richard and Alys with interest; the girl seemed to be very fond of the Seeker. She turned her head away once she saw the hopeful look on the petite blonde directed at her. To avoid any awkwardness, Cara started to step away from the pair, but her attention was caught by the girls alarmed voice._

"_Oh, what is this?" Alys said, kneeling on the ground and pointing at something among the dirt._

_Richard squinted to look at what the child was pointing at and Cara came to kneel beside them too. Before the Mord'Sith had any time to react, Alys got up and kissed her swiftly on the cheek. The little blonde girl ran towards the cot, giggling and throwing a brief 'nighty-night' over her shoulder, leaving a stunned Mord'Sith and a laughing Seeker behind. _

"You should have seen her face," Richard said to Kahlan, pointing at Cara and laughing at the memory. The Confessor chuckled, pursing her lips to stifle a full blown laugh; she didn't want to laugh as openly as Richard because she could tell the blonde was slightly uncomfortable with the sneaky kiss the child had managed to steal from her.

"She was lucky not to have been hurt," Cara said, not at all amused by Richard's enjoyment. "She surprised me, I could have harmed her unintentionally."

"But you didn't," Kahlan added, looking tenderly at the blonde beside her. She leaned closer, taking advantage of the fact that Richard was distracted with reenacting Cara's expression from the night before for Zedd's amusement. "Looks like you have a talent to make Confessors like you, on different levels of course," Kahlan whispered in Cara's ear.

"I'm not greedy," Cara whispered back, enjoying Kahlan's closeness and the brunette's boldness in flirting with her, albeit subtly, in front of the men. "One Confessor is more than enough for me," she said, giving Kahlan a quick wink that made the brunette's smile widen immediately.

"Well, obviously, Alys needs to get back to her own time," Kahlan said, turning away from Cara and directing everyone's attention back to the problem at hand. "Do you know any spell that could accomplish that?" the brunette asked, looking at Zedd.

"There are no spells for that," Zedd said shaking his head. "The only way to time travel is by using the Triangle of Anuyr," the wizard informed them, his brow furrowed deeply.

"Where is this stone triangle?" Cara asked in confusion, judging by the wizard's worried look that it wouldn't be easy.

"The last I heard it was safely stored in the Wizard's Keep," Zedd said, lifting his head to look at the Mord'Sith. "In Aydindril." He shifted his gaze to Kahlan.

"Aydindril," Kahlan breathed out. "That's far away and it would delay the quest for the Stone of Tears, we'll have to split up," she concluded, looking at Richard.

"Last time I checked, the compass was pointing in the general direction of Aydindril," the Seeker said with a smile. "If it hasn't changed, we're heading that way anyways," he said, shrugging. "And if it's not, the quest will have to wait because I'm not letting you go alone to Aydindril with Alys," Richard said, looking adoringly at Kahlan. The Confessor gave him a tight lipped smile and shifted uncomfortably on her seat, trying to gauge the blonde's reaction from her peripheral vision. "I would go with you to-"

"Shouldn't we find more about this girl?" Cara interrupted the Seeker suddenly, not liking were his speech was going. "I know she's just a kid," she amended, looking at Kahlan. "But the truth is we know nothing about her and she seems pretty comfortable around us," she said, clearly annoyed about Alys demeanor around them. Cara felt a warm and calming hand on her leg, sly fingers making circles on her inner thigh, assuring her of its owner's presence beside her.

Kahlan had seen Cara's interruption for what it was, the blonde didn't like the way Richard was looking and talking to her. The Mord'Sith sounded like herself, scolding them for their lack of caution, but Kahlan could detect the jealousy in Cara's voice and it made her smile slightly, reassured that Cara cared enough about her to be actively jealous in front of both men, even if said jealously was well camouflaged with irritation about the lack of information regarding Alys.

The Confessor reached towards Cara's side of the table to pick up an apple and rested her other hand on Cara's side for support. The movement had little to do with her desire to eat the fruit; it was meant to reassure the blonde as much as to calm herself, because Richard's words made her remember that she had to have a very serious and painful conversation with him in the near future. She squeezed the blonde's side gently, feeling Cara release the breath she was holding and watching as the blonde gave her a look of acknowledgement about Kahlan's intention in reassuring her.

"Alys is a Confessor, obviously, she is related to Kahlan somehow; either by being her descendent or, perhaps, Dennee's," Zedd reasoned, his gaze shifting from the blonde to the pensive Mother Confessor. "But Alys did mention that she felt like she had fallen into a history book," Zedd recalled. "Maybe the great deeds of the Seeker of Truth are taught in Aydindril many years from now and Alys feels close to us because she knows our story," he deducted, laying a proud hand on his grandson's shoulder.

Cara just rolled her eyes, not impressed by Zedd's reasoning. Alys didn't seem that dangerous to her, but it wouldn't hurt them to be more careful. She wasn't worried, she trusted Kahlan's judgment and the brunette seemed to trust the little girl, but she'd like to be sure.

"We can always ask her," Kahlan suggested with a smile, receiving nods from around the table. "Now, let's go pick her up," the Mother Confessor said, getting up from the table, the other three following closely behind.

* * *

The morning was a little chilly, but the clear sky and bright sun hinted at the warm day ahead. The walk towards Brejen's house was quiet, everyone lost in their own thoughts. Kahlan let her mind go back to Cara's reaction to the effects of her confessor power; the blonde woman was so stubborn. _She just doesn't give up, I don't know why I'm even surprised anymore_, Kahlan thought lovingly, with a smile.

"Can I know what you're thinking about?" Richard said quietly beside Kahlan, interrupting the Confessor's happy musings.

"Why do you ask?" Kahlan asked, surprised at Richard's enquiry and not able to stop the faint blush that colored her cheeks.

"Your smile," the Seeker said, simply. "You had a happy smile so they must have been pleasant thoughts." He smiled brightly at Kahlan, his hopeful look letting the brunette know that the Seeker thought she was thinking about them.

"I was just thinking about Alys," Kahlan lied, shrugging her shoulders. She felt bad for lying to Richard, but she couldn't tell him here what she had been thinking about. She would talk to him later.

"Oh," the Seeker said looking to the ground, his hand moving to the nape of his neck in a sheepish gesture and disappointment clear in his voice. "I thought… never mind," he said with a dismissive smile, quickening his pace to catch up with Zedd.

The Confessor was aware of what went through Richard's mind and she felt bad for him because she knew she would break his heart. _It'll probably be the most difficult conversation I ever had with anyone_, she thought sadly, biting her lip worriedly and nervously tucking her hair behind her ear. Kahlan turned her head to her right when she caught red in her peripheral vision.

"Everything okay?" Cara asked in a whisper, nodding to Richard's back with her head.

"Yes," Kahlan said smiling, putting the blonde's worries at ease. Kahlan opened her mouth to explain further, but all that came out was a sad sigh. The Confessor knew the blonde didn't need any other explanation when Cara gave her curt nod of understanding, conveying her support to the brunette with a kind gaze. Kahlan thanked her by squeezing Cara's gloved hand briefly.

When they arrived at Brejen's house, his wife, Janis, was swiping the entrance. The woman lifted her head and smiled brightly at them.

"Good morning," Janis greeted them. "Are you here for Alys?" she asked, stopping her current task and resting her hands on the broomstick.

"Yes, we are," Kahlan answered with a smile. "Is she awake?" the brunette asked, only now realizing that the child might be still asleep.

"That girl jumps out of the bed when the sun comes out," Janis said laughing. "She's always full of energy, but today she was extra excited because you told her you would be coming for her this morning," the woman explained. "Have you had breakfast yet? Do you want to eat something inside?" Janis asked kindly, addressing the four of them.

"Thank you, but we already ate," Zedd said kindly to Janis. "Could you, perhaps, tell Alys we are here?" the wizard asked politely.

"Right away," Janis said, turning to go inside the house. "She is in the backyard," the woman said over her shoulder before disappearing inside.

A few moments later a petite form shot through the door directly to Kahlan's arms. The Mother Confessor laughed at Alys's obvious joy at seeing her again and hugged the little blonde girl close to her.

"Hello Alys," Kahlan said. "How are you?" she asked, pulling back and kneeling to look at the girl's bright blue eyes.

"I'm _great_," Alys answered, bouncing on her feet and leaned forward to kiss Kahlan on the cheek. The blond girl looked around and noticed the smile Cara had on her lips while she watched her reunion with the Mother Confessor, but the Mord'Sith quickly wiped it off as soon as she caught Alys looking at her. The young Confessor giggled and turned to Richard, greeting him with a kiss too as he obligingly bent down..

"Are you up for some more questions, little one?" Zedd said as he came close to Alys and ruffled her long hair.

"Of course," the small blonde replied with a nod. "But wait, what is this?" Alys said, taking a couple of steps towards Cara and looking intently at a spot on the ground.

Cara snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. "That trick doesn't work twice, girl," the taller blonde said with an amused smirk. This child sure was persistent in trying to be affectionate with her and the weird thing was that it didn't bother Cara as much as she thought it would. "But I have to admit that you did manage to trick me yesterday," the Mord'Sith said with an impressed nod of her head at the girl's sneaky antics while she kneeled down to be at eye level with Alys.

"Thanks," Alys said with a wide grin, resting one small hand on Cara's shoulder. Seeing that the Mord'Sith didn't shrug it off, the young Confessor pecked her on the cheek. "But it wasn't that difficult to pull off," she said cheekily, shrugging her shoulders as if fooling Cara was the easiest thing to her.

Cara rolled her eyes and swiftly got to her feat with a huff. "You caught me by surprise, that's all," the red clad woman said, a hint of annoyance showing in her voice at the child's dismissive attitude. "Don't try anything funny in the future, you might get hurt, you hear me?" Cara admonished in a stern voice. Alys just nodded her head, her gaze fixed on Cara's and the smile never leaving her face.

"How would you like to come with us to Aydindril, Alys?" Richard asked.

"You're taking me home?" the child asked, looking at the Seeker with wide eyes.

"Exactly," Kahlan said, trying to avoid any further explanation in front of Brejen and Janis. She preferred to not discuss Alys's problem in front of them; it was best to talk to the girl in private. "We are headed in Aydindril's direction, we can take her with us," she said to Brejen and Janis, who were in the door's threshold watching.

"Wouldn't a little girl be a burden in your quest, Seeker?" Brejen pointed out to Richard, looking somewhat skeptical with the arrangements and the apparent interest they had in the little girl.

"Not at all," Richard said clearing his throat. "This way she can get home sooner," the Seeker justified lamely. He could see the dubious look on Brejen's face, but the man shrugged and didn't say anything more. Richard was sure that, given the escort Alys would have, the man had concluded that he had nothing to worry about.

"We should go," Cara advised, looking up at the sun to determine the time.

"Goodbye then, Alys," Brejen said, opening his arms as the child ran towards him and hugged him.

"Thank you so much for helping me," Alys said, looking up at him with tears in her eyes.

"Don't cry, honey," Janis said, kneeling next to the girl and rubbing Alys's back soothingly. "It was a pleasure to help you and having you here with us. And you helped me too, in the kitchen, remember?" she said smiling reassuringly.

"It was really fun," Alys said, recalling the time she passed baking with the kind woman.

"Be good, okay?" Brejen told her, patting her cheek. "Sometimes I go to Aydindril, so maybe we'll see each other again," he said with a smile, winking at the blonde girl.

"Maybe," Alys agreed halfheartedly, her smile diminishing a little. She gave them one more hug and turned around to her new traveling companions, who, in turn, said their goodbyes to the couple and walked away towards the city gates.

Once they passed the city gates, the Seeker took out the compass and opened it, holding it up in his hand. He looked at the direction the compass pointed and turned his head to look at Kahlan.

"I guess that settles it then," Richard announced smiling. "We'll go to Aydindril."


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: And here's the next one, let m know what you think :D

Chapter 11

After they had been walking for awhile, Zedd looked at Kahlan with a meaningful look. It was time they asked Alys the rest of their questions so that they could better understand what had happened to the young Confessor and her relationship to them.

"Alys," the wizard began, addressing the girl. "We discussed your situation among ourselves, and based on the information you gave us yesterday, I think I know what happened to you," he said, looking at Alys to make sure the girl was paying attention. "The wizard you saw probably opened a portal to travel back in time, using the amulet you told us about," Zedd explained.

"I figured," Alys stated matter-of-factly, making all of them chuckle, except Zedd, who furrowed his brow at Alys's statement. All of them could see that the blonde had no intention of mocking Zedd, but she ended up doing it unintentionally with her need to speed up the conversation to something she didn't already know.

"Yes, well," Zedd said, clearing his throat and looking sideways at the girl. "The only way to bring you back to your time is by using the same amulet. Normally, the one who casts the spell to open the portal keeps the amulet. So if this wizard only opened the portal to make you travel in time, the only way to send you back is go to Aydindril and recover our time's Triangle of Anuyr, which I'm sure is in the Wizard's Keep," Zedd explained the plan to Alys, seeing the girl nod as she accompanied his reasoning.

"For that to work you have to tell us the exact time you are from," the wizard added. "The amulet can only make you travel years at a time, so you have to tell us how many years separate our time from yours," he said, aware that this could be difficult for the girl to achieve.

"You need the exact number of years?" Alys asked, her eyes widening considerably.

"Yes, little one," Zedd confirmed. "I'm know this might be difficult, but we'll hel-"

"How old are you?" Alys asked Kahlan, cutting the wizard mid speech.

"Twenty-five," the brunette answered, a little surprised at the question and smiling amused as Alys frowned her eyebrows in concentration and started counting through her fingers.

"I don't think that will help you much Alys, mayb-"

"Shush," Alys snapped, rising a hand to silence Richard and furrowing her eyebrows deeper in concentration. The adults looked at her amused, but none of them interrupted the girl's efforts to find an answer. After a while Alys clapped her hands together once, an accomplished look on her face.

"My time is twenty years in the future," the blonde Confessor said with total certainty.

At this answer, all of them stopped walking in shock, realizing that Alys probably knew them a lot better than they initially thought.

The young Confessor took a couple of steps before she noticed that she wasn't being followed and turned around to see all four of them looking curiously at her. She grinned, amused at their shocked faces.

"I honestly thought you were from a far more distant future," Zedd said chuckling; he was the first one to recover. "The way you talked about how this was like being in a history book, I assumed," he trailed off, looking with new eyes at the girl in front of him.

"It is, I have to learn about this in class," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "The rift to the Underworld, the search for the Stone of Tears and whatnot," Alys explained vaguely, conveying her boredom with a one handed wagging motion in the air.

"So you can tell us what happens in the future," Richard said, becoming excited with the prospect of finding out where to find the Stone and what the future had in store for him.

"No, I can't tell any of you anything about the future," Alys said, shaking her head at Richard.

"Why not?" the Seeker asked confused.

"Zedd told me not to, he said it's dangerous," Alys said simply, before she could stop herself, realizing that she was already giving them information.

"It is dangerous to be aware of our own futures, we could be tempted to change things and that could lead to disastrous mistakes that would change the course of our lives," Zedd said nodding, agreeing with the small blonde's assessment. "But I don't remember telling you that, unless…" he trailed off, looking expectantly at Alys, waiting for the girl to confirm his suspicions.

"You're the one who gives me classes, so yes, you told me this already," Alys said huffing. "I mean in your future that is my past," she clarified, with a shake of her head.

"How old are you exactly?" Cara asked, her eyes going from Alys to the completely stunned Kahlan beside her.

"I'm ten," Alys answered, smiling and turning to look at Kahlan.

"Wait," Richard said, a wide grin appearing on his face while he looked between Alys and Kahlan. "Are you Kahlan's daughter?" he asked cautiously. "I thought," he waved a hand at Alys's blond hair. "Dennee maybe…" He trailed off, and his grin went surpernova. Looking at those bright blue eyes and at the girl's obvious regal posture, her heritage was obvious. She was Kahlan's child.

"Well, duh, it's not that difficult to figure it out," the girl said, her head tilting in a mocking gesture. "And no, aunt Dennee is not my mother," Alys said laughing, but the sounded quickly died on her lips when she looked at Kahlan shocked face.

The brunette couldn't say anything, when Alys said that she was from twenty years in the future her mind immediately reached the conclusion that the little girl was most certainly her daughter. Kahlan was so stunned that all she could do was stare at Alys. When they discovered that the young girl had come from the future she knew that they had to be related. If Alys was a Confessor she had to come from Kahlan's line, since the brunette and her sister were the only ones in the world who could give continuity to the line of Confessors. But it had never crossed her mind that they could be so close related. Like Zedd, she was under the impression that the girl had come from a far distant future.

"Oh Spirits," Kahlan said in awe, while she approached Alys. The Mother Confessor closed the space between herself and the young Confessor and knelt in front of the girl. Kahlan brought her hands up to cup Alys's cheeks and looked deeply into the girl's eyes. The blue of those irises were so similar to her own and at the same time so unique.

"Hi mommy," Alys said in a whisper, closing her small hands around Kahlan's wrists.

"Hi sweetie," Kahlan replied in a strangled whisper, the tears that had been forming in her eyes falling down her cheeks. The older Confessor kissed the blonde's forehead and enclosed Alys in her arms in a tight hug that was fiercely returned by the small girl. "I can't believe this," Kahlan whispered in awe, distancing herself a little to look at Alys. "Are you sure?"

"I'm pretty sure I know my own mother," Alys replied laughing at Kahlan's question.

"I'm sorry, that was not the brightest of questions," Kahlan said, shaking her head and laughing at herself along with Alys. The Mother Confessor turned around to look at her companions. Her eyes caught Richard in the front, his hands behind his head and an incredibly happy and dumbfounded expression on his face. Zedd stood next to his grandson, clapping him in the back with one hand while he smiled in Kahlan and Alys's direction. Behind the two men, slightly to the side, Kahlan spotted Cara.

The Mord'Sith also had a stunned look on her face, but Kahlan could see so much more than that in those green orbs. She watched as Cara's gaze went from Richard's exhilarated face, to Zedd's proud hand on the Seeker's shoulders, and to finally land on her. For a moment Cara looked like her world had come to an end, but this was just for a flicker of a second; the Mord'Sith quickly hardened her features into an expressionless mask, using her training to once again cover her emotions.

"This is too good to be true," they all heard Richard whisper in awe, his grin impossibly wide.

"Don't ask me anything else, though," Alys said, bringing everyone's attention back to her. "I only told you what was evident, but I can't tell you anything more about the future," she said, looking at Zedd for confirmation.

"That's right, little one," Zedd said nodding, admiring this girl's responsibility and knowledge at such a young age… which didn't really surprised him any longer; she was definitely her mother's daughter.

"Let's get going then," Kahlan said, looking back at her daughter smiling. _My daughter, I can't believe it_, the brunette thought to herself. She kissed Alys once again, making the girl giggle, and got up with the intention of walking towards Cara to make sure the blonde was okay. But when she turned around a pair of strong, but masculine, arms enclosed her in an embrace. Kahlan didn't even have time to react, the Seeker was beyond happy. It was only when she noticed Richard's happy expression that a thought came over her. Judging by his exhilarated reaction it was obvious that Richard was certain that he was the father and Kahlan couldn't rule that possibility out either. This made her seek Cara's eyes and what she saw broke her heart. The Mord'Sith was staring the ground, one hand tightly closed in a fist and the other one grabbing onto one of her agiels fiercely. Kahlan moved on instinct, freeing herself from Richard's arms without a though at what her actions looked like and walked the small distance towards Cara.

"Now I know who to blame for that girl's incessant babbling," Cara said before Kahlan could utter a word, offering a smirk that looked like a cover for something else. "I should have figured it out yesterday that she has your blood, when the girl tricked me into a kiss," Cara said calmly, but her eyes told another story as they bore intensely into Kahlan's.

Kahlan faintly heard the men behind her laughing at Cara's joke, but Kahlan knew with a dreaded certainty that Cara's words could not be further from joking. Those words cut Kahlan like no words before had and the fire she could clearly see in the blonde's eyes scared her; because Kahlan could see the pain mixed with confusion behind those eyes. Kahlan was painfully aware that the blonde meant her words literally, she wasn't even implying or hinting at it, she clearly meant to say that Kahlan had tricked her into a kiss, tricked her into a romantic relationship that had no future.

"You're being unfair to me, Cara," Kahlan whispered harshly, her eyes showing how upset she was. She could understand that Cara was scared and she knew that the Mord'Sith was not used to trust people with her feelings and making herself vulnerable. She realized that the blonde was lashing out at her because she was scared of loosing what they had being building, but that didn't give Cara the right to be unfair to her. And Kahlan wasn't going to let her get away with it as if she was right.

The Mord'Sith lowered her gaze to the ground without replying. She watched as the brunette's feet left her side, feeling a knot surge in her throat and an unsettling ache growing in her chest. The hurt look on Kahlan's face made the blonde regret what she had said and especially the hurtful way in which she looked at the brunette. But she couldn't shake the dread feeling she had about this situation. When she saw the joyous look that appeared in Kahlan's face at the news that Alys was in fact her daughter, Cara was thrilled for the brunette; she knew how that particular issue bothered Kahlan and apparently the Mother Confessor's worries were unfunded because she would, in fact, be able to continue the line of Confessors. But the moment her eyes caught Richard's happy expression while the Seeker watched Kahlan and Alys and the wizard's head nodding approvingly while he patted his grandson's shoulder in a congratulating manner, Cara felt like the ground had been swept from beneath her feet.

It was obvious to her that Richard immediately jumped to the conclusion that he was the little girl's father. And if Cara thought about it, what other option was there? Sure Kahlan could find a mate to do that, but the affectionate and clearly familiar way in which Alys interacted with Richard lead her to believe that it probably was true; the Seeker must be Alys's father. And even if he wasn't, one thing was for sure: Cara certainly wasn't the girl's father.

Kahlan tried to compose herself, avoiding at all costs, letting Richard and Zedd notice that something was upsetting her and it had to do with Cara. She forced a smile to her face, hoping that the tears that left her eyes could be misjudged by tears of joy.

"Why are you sad?" Alys asked, her eyes shifting from Kahlan to Cara.

"I'm not sad, sweetie," Kahlan said, smiling to the girl in what she hopped was a reassuring way. "These are happy tears," she said, combing her fingers through Alys's dirty blond tresses. The brunette furrowed her brow when her daughter motioned for her to come closer with a small finger, so she knelt down and looked expectantly to the child.

"You do know that you can't lie to a Confessor, don't you?" Alys whispered, raising one eyebrow. Kahlan had to chuckle at the blonde's statement.

"You're right," Kahlan admitted. "But don't worry about it, it's nothing that can't be fixed," the brunette reassured the girl.

"Hmm," Alys replied wordlessly, not sounding totally convinced. "Okay, but don't cry," the girl said, drying Kahlan's tears with her small hands. "I don't like it when you cry, it makes me feel sad," Alys said unhappily, a pout forming on her lips.

Those words transported Kahlan to the night before, when another blonde uttered similar ones to her with a look of devotion that she was sure she wouldn't find now if she looked behind her. Kahlan took a deep breath and tried to forget that for now. Instead she focused on the beautiful, smart girl in front of her; her daughter.

"I won't cry anymore then," Kahlan said with a wide smile. It did not quite reach her eyes, but it was a start.

"Let's go," Richard said happily, coming to stand beside Kahlan and loping one arm around her waist. "We have a lot of ground to cover before we stop for the night," he said, caressing Alys's cheek tenderly and turning his head to kiss Kahlan's cheek sweetly. He noticed Kahlan stiff at his touch, but figured it was due to nerves. He reasoned that Kahlan must still be surprised by the news; he, himself, was beyond stunned.

"Yes, let's keep going," Zedd said smiling. He turned around to look at Cara and a frown replaced his previous smile. "What's wrong Cara?" he asked, taking in the stance of the blonde. The Mord'Sith had stone look on her face and was clutching her unsheathed agiels in both hands; she looked like she was ready to attack someone.

Richard and Kahlan spun around to see what Zedd was referring to, both reaching for their weapons reflexively, while putting Alys protectively between them.

"Nothing is wrong," Cara said, looking like she was caught by surprise by Zedd's question. When she noticed that she had her agiels in her hands in a vice like grip she quickly explained. "I just thought I heard something, but it was just an animal." She walked towards them and put her agiels away, instantly missing the calming pain her weapons brought that helped her to clear her thoughts and bury her feelings. She stopped next to Zedd and glanced over at Kahlan, seeing the knowing look on the brunette's eyes. Leave it to Kahlan to notice when she was using her agiels for comfort instead of defense. Since there was no impending danger after all, they continue their march down the road.

* * *

They had been walking all day long, stopping more than usual because of Alys; a little girl couldn't keep up with their pace so it was unavoidable. Cara never said anything about this, surprising Richard and Zedd, who expected the blonde to complain about the various stops they made along the way, saying that it was a bad idea to bring a child with them to slow them down. Even Cara was surprised with herself, but seeing the girl happily chat with Kahlan and watching as the Mother Confessor laughed at the child, it made her hold her tongue. If Cara was being totally honest, she also found the girl entertaining and very smart for her age. She was particularly amused every time Richard tried to teach Alys something about the forest animals or plants and the young Confessor would already have the answer before the Seeker could finish explaining. Richard's impressed expression was hilarious; Cara almost thought that Alys could actually know more about the forests of the Midlands than the former wood's guide.

They stopped shortly before nightfall, taking advantage of the last of the sunlight to make camp and cook the evening meal. Zedd was already preparing the ingredients to make one of his stews. There were a vast number of rabbits in these woods, so Cara had taken a little deviation from the road to catch something for dinner before they stopped for the night. Richard made small talk with Zedd next to the fire, while Alys peeked over the wizard's shoulder, observing Zedd's culinary expertise. Cara sat across the fire from them, not really paying attention to what was going on around her. She was brought back to reality by a gentle touch on her shoulder.

"Can you help me fill the water skins?" Kahlan asked Cara quietly, resting one of her hands on Cara's shoulder and feeling the stiffness of the Mord'Sith's muscles, which only indicated that the blonde was far from being as calm as the façade she was showing. Cara looked up at her and gave her a curt nod that conveyed her understanding that Kahlan wanted more than her help to fill the water skins. Cara stood up and grabbed the water skins from their packs. "We'll be right back," Kahlan said simply to the others, although she offered a sweet smile to Alys before turning around and walking towards the nearby stream, confident that Cara was following just behind her.

Kahlan was thrilled to discover that she had a daughter, or that she would eventually have one in the future. She had no idea what that meant to her relationship with Cara, but she was adamant to not let her imagination run with the worst scenarios based on the little information they had. That was exactly what Zedd had meant when he said knowing the future could be dangerous, they shouldn't assume anything. Kahlan wasn't certain about what would happen in her future, but she was certain that what she felt for Cara was too strong already and she would fight against anything that could come between her and the blonde; and that meant that she would fight Cara too, if needed.

They walked in silence, the only sound being their soft footsteps on forest ground. After they arrived at the stream, Kahlan kneeled at the margin and started filing the first water skin. The Confessor didn't say a word to Cara, nor did she even acknowledge the blonde behind her. The silence treatment was starting to get on Cara's nerves, as Kahlan filled all of the water skins without looking once at Cara. The Mord'Sith had been expecting a lecture from Kahlan on how inappropriate her previous behavior had been, but instead the Confessor just ignored her. Unable to stand the tension anymore and feeling guilty for how she had treated Kahlan before, the blonde broke the silence.

"I guess I own you an apology," Cara said meekly, her eyes shifting from the ground to Kahlan's back and back to the ground again.

"You _guess_?" Kahlan asked with a hard voice, her eyebrows rising disbelievingly. The Confessor turned to stand and look at Cara, throwing the last filled water skin to the ground and planting her hands on her hips in irritation.

"Kahlan," Cara started heartfelt, but closed her eyes and sighed in defeat. The blonde was annoyed with herself; at her jealously and at her inability to deal with her own feelings and put them into words. The moment she had said those words to Kahlan she had regretted them. She had stuck with it because of pure pride, but deep down she had felt a pang as she had seen the hurt expression appear on Kahlan's face in response to her bitter words. "I'm sorry," she finally let out quickly, but meaningfully. "I don't know what came over me," Cara added, rubbing her forehead with the pads of her fingers and then looking towards Kahlan, to see the brunette's reaction.

"Are you sure you don't know what came over you?" Kahlan asked, her gaze intently fixed on Cara's. At the blonde's confused look the Confessor continued. "Are you sure you don't know, Cara? Because I think I do, but I need to hear you say it," Kahlan said, not backing down or letting the subject drop with Cara's apology. The Confessor was sure that the Mord'Sith was only protecting herself from heartbreak. Cara never gave herself, emotionally, to anyone in her life and the prospect of doing so must be the most terrifying thing the blonde could ever face. But Kahlan was adamant that Cara had to get past this difficulty, she had to trust Kahlan and trust that what Kahlan felt for her was real and the brunette would never intentionally hurt her. Kahlan believed that she had to confront Cara about this, the blonde had to let herself be more vulnerable in order for their relationship to grow stronger.

"What do you want me to say here, Kahlan?" Cara asked petulantly, stubbornly sticking to her pride. "That I'm jealous? Is that what you want to hear?" she spat defiantly at the brunette. She had inkling that this was part of what Kahlan was fishing for, but it was not all of it. Although the blonde was aware that her behavior might be a little over board, she would be damned if she caved easily; even if she, herself, was aware of her own overreaction.

"If that's what you're feeling," Kahlan said, her gaze never wavering from Cara's. "Then yes, I want to hear it," she finished. She could see by the tense muscles in Cara's body and her clenched jaw that she was getting to the Mord'Sith. She didn't enjoy provoking Cara like this, but the blonde had a particular way of dealing with emotional issues; since Cara wouldn't speak freely about her insecurities, letting them burst in bitter comments, Kahlan knew that pushing Cara was the only way the blonde was going to admit her insecurities without feeling weak. _Hopefully_, Kahlan thought, _one day I won't need to push her into it_.

"Then there you go, I said it," Cara said, shrugging her shoulders as if she didn't care about their argument, but the way in which she bitted her lower lip and her constantly shifty eyes betrayed her worry. It was as if she was watching herself sink lower and lower and she could do nothing to make it better, she just kept lashing out at Kahlan. She was sure that this time the Confessor would hit her or turn around and walk away without another word; but Kahlan surprised her by slowly approaching her.

"You are, _without a doubt_, the most stubborn person I've ever met in my entire life," Kahlan said firmly. She noticed Cara flinch at this and starting to turn away from her, but she prevented the blonde from doing so by catching her wrist and cupping her cheek to force Cara to look in her eyes. "And I love you with every thing that I am," she uttered intensely, looking deep into the startled green eyes locked with her own.

Those words rendered Cara speechless. The look in Kahlan's eyes filled the brunette's words with meaning, preventing Cara from doubting their truthfulness. All her life the Mord'Sith had run from words like those, which reflected deep feelings that she was sure she was incapable of feeling. And now she had Kahlan in front of her, even after Cara had hurt her, uttering them with so much devotion that it made Cara feel invincible.

The Confessor moved her hands to catch Cara's and brought the blonde's arms to encircle her waist. "This is were I want to be, Cara," Kahlan whispered, giving Cara a little more reassurance as she watched the turmoil going on in the blonde's eyes.

Cara wrapped her arms firmly around the brunette, closing the small gap between their bodies and fusing their lips together in a tender, but confident kiss. The blonde felt Kahlan's hands entangle in her hair, which only made her deepen the kiss and trying to convey in the caress of her lips her apology and the love she felt for Kahlan. When Cara separated herself from Kahlan, the blonde fixed the Confessor with a passionate gaze, staring into her eyes for a moment before she spoke.

"I love you too, Kahlan," Cara said tenderly, squeezing the brunette's waist and capturing Kahlan's lips in brief kiss, sealing her words. The bright smile that appeared on Kahlan's face, illuminating her blue eyes, made Cara's effort of putting her feelings into words was completely worth it. "And I am sorry for what I said earlier," the blonde said with a sigh, closing her eyes in a self deprecating manner. "When I looked at Richard's face jealously consumed me in a way that had never before."

"This is what Zedd was referring to when he said that knowing our future could be dangerous," Kahlan said. "We shouldn't jump to conclusions without knowing the truth. I don't know what will happen in the future Cara, all I know is that right now there's no one I see myself with but you," she reassured the Mord'Sith.

"You could change your mind," Cara said sadly. "You do have a daughter," Cara recalled, looking pointedly at Kahlan.

"I don't think that is going to happen," Kahlan said with a smile, shaking her head. "And as for Alys, you know that one of my duties as the Mother Confessor, and one of the only two Confessors alive, is to reestablish the line of Confessors," Kahlan said with a sigh, combing her fingers soothingly through Cara's tresses. She always wanted kids and after all, Confessor's were known for taking mates for that sole purpose only. The idea never appealed to her, but the truth was that Cara could give her everything, except a child. So resorting to find a mate that could provide her a child would probably be her only choice.

"Don't get me wrong, I _am_ good," Cara said smirking. "But I'm not _that_ good," she said with a small chuckle. "It's just that the idea of someone else touching you is enough to make me want to kill anyone in a five mile radius," she said, her eyebrows furrowing, showing her intense displeasure.

"Me included, if what you said to me in the morning is anything to go by," Kahlan said playfully, but the sad look on her face was evidence of the hurt that she felt at Cara's cutting words. But at the regretful look that once again returned to Cara's green eyes she quickly added. "I understand why you did it and I forgive you," Kahlan said, moving one hand to reassuringly cup Cara's cheek. "Just promise me that you'll trust me and trust that I love you," she asked Cara with pleading eyes.

"I do trust you Kahlan," Cara quickly said. "I'm not used to having someone love me the way you do," she said apprehensively. "These feelings are new to me and I'm still learning how to deal with them."

"I know," Kahlan reassured the blonde. "We'll learn together," she said, leaning in for a sweet kiss. She ended the kiss and smiled cheerfully at Cara. She was happy that she had cleared the air with the Mord'Sith; Kahlan was sure that the acid she had felt in her stomach since that morning would destroy her from the inside out if she had taken any longer to talk to Cara. Kahlan placed one more kiss on Cara's lips, tenderly brushing her hand against the back of Cara's neck as she disentangled herself from the blonde's arms in order to get back to camp.

"Kahlan," Cara said thoughtfully, bending down to pick up the full water skins. "She has your eyes, have you noticed that?" the blonde asked with a smile.

"She does, doesn't she?" Kahlan agreed, recalling Alys's clear blue eyes.

"And your tendency to enjoy talking," she added with a raised eyebrow. "I guess no one is perfect, right?" she said playfully, knowing that that would raise a laugh out of Kahlan.

Sure enough, the Confessor laughed and playfully slapped Cara's shoulder. "Not everybody is as silent as you." Kahlan said, starting to walk back towards camp with the Mord'Sith beside her.

"I only talk when I have something important to say," Cara said. "I never waste my words, Confessor," she said, looking sideways at Kahlan.

"Of course, because snarky remarks are always an important addition to any conversation," Kahlan said sarcastically, the playful smile never leaving her lips. She was so relieved to be once again indulging in this kind of banter with Cara; it assured her that they were past the fight.

Cara slid one arm around Kahlan's waist, bringing the Confessor back to her as she paused. "I love you," the blonde whispered in Kahlan's ear and captured the brunette's earlobe in her lips.

Hearing those three simple words from Cara's mouth again, made Kahlan shiver with happiness. "You don't play fair," Kahlan said chuckling, lifting one hand to cup the back of Cara's neck.

"I know," Cara stated with a smirk, letting go of Kahlan as they continued walking back to camp. "But you love it," she added, winking at a beaming Kahlan.

* * *

When Cara and Kahlan got back to camp they found Zedd still by the fire, hovering over the pot, with Richard sitting next to him, while Alys talked animatedly about something in front of them. The girl looked up at the women and beamed when she saw the smiles on both women's faces.

"Everything okay?" Richard asked absentmindedly, after turning around to look at Kahlan.

"Yes," the Mother Confessor answered with a pensive expression. "Actually, can I talk to you alone for a moment?" Kahlan asked the Seeker.

"Of course," Richard replied grinning, getting up and walking towards the brunette.

"We'll be back in a few," Kahlan said to Cara, passing the water skins she was also carrying to the blonde and squeezing her gloved hand in the process. Cara gave her an encouraging nod accompanied by small smile, indications that the blonde had a pretty good idea of what Kahlan wanted to say to the Seeker.

"Come sit with us," a voice said behind Cara. The Mord'Sith looked down to find Alys next to her with a hopeful smile on her face.

"You guys behave while we're gone," Richard said playfully, earning him a glare from Cara and a snort from the Zedd.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of them both," Alys said decisively, grabbing Cara's hand and pulling the Mord'Sith towards the fire.

Cara rolled her eyes at the little girl, but let herself be dragged across the camp. She looked behind her to find Kahlan smiling gently at her, the Confessor's head tilting to the side in an endearing way that made Cara want to retrace her steps and kiss the brunette until they needed to stop for air. But she only sighed mock-annoyance and followed Alys towards the fire.

Kahlan lead Richard toward the stream, where she and Cara had been only moments before. She stopped in the middle of the path and turned towards the Seeker with a worried expression. This was it, she was going to tell Richard about how her feelings for him had changed and that she wasn't in love with him anymore. But before she could say something, Richard beat her to it.

"I'm the happiest man alive right now, Kahlan" he said, cupping her cheeks tenderly, a wide grin illuminating his face. "I can't believe that we got to meet our daughter," he beamed.

His words confirmed Kahlan's suspicion; he did believe that he was Alys's father. Although she couldn't deny this with certainty either, what she was about to tell him diminished those chances drastically.

"We don't know that for sure Richard," Kahlan said carefully, not wanting to hurt his feelings, but knowing that it was inevitable.

"What do you mean?" he said confused. "I always knew we were going to overcome our love's obstacles and you just have to look at her," he stated. At the confused expression on Kahlan's face he explained. "She has your eyes, but the color of her hair… My hair was that same color when I was a child," he recalled, his grin returning to his lips. "And back at the inn last night, Alys was going to call me something instead of my name, I'm sure she was going to say father," he said happily to Kahlan.

The brunette did remember how Alys seemed to stumble in her own words at that moment, but maybe Richard was seeing what he wanted to see. It was obvious that Alys knew all of them and it was pointless to jump to conclusions, as she had told Cara. She was going to say exactly that to Richard when a crackling noise behind her caught her attention. She quickly turned around when she saw Richard look intently over her shoulder.

"Who's there?" the Seeker demanded, unsheathing his sword, while Kahlan reached for her daggers as well.

"An old man in need of help, young man," a scratching voice sounded from a slumped form in between the bushes. It looked like a man, covered in a cloak, walking towards them.

"Show yourself," Kahlan demanded and watched as the men uncovered his head, moving one fragile hand to his chest in an attempt to stop a coughing fit. He looked like a wanderer, his robs were dirty and torn. The thin long air glued to his greasy skin, the wrinkles in his face bore witness to the man's old age.

Richard traded a worried look with Kahlan, but immediately moved to help the men. The Seeker guided him to sit on a rock and waited for him to stop coughing.

"What's your name?" Richard asked once the man's breath returned to normal.

"My name is Grestes," he answered tiredly. "I'm traveling to a town a day from here, but I'm not young anymore and the chill air of the night bothers me more than I anticipated," he explained slowly, clinging to Richard's arm for support when a new coughing fit overcame him.

"Could you give me some water?" Grestes asked Richard. "It always helps with the cough and my water skin is dry."

"I'll go to the camp and bring you some water," the Seeker said, looking at Kahlan and silently asking her if she minded. Kahlan gave him a nod, telling him to go and moved over to approach Grestes as the Seeker left.

Richard was only a few steps down the path, his back turned to them, when Grestes lifted his gaze to look Kahlan in the eyes. Something in the man's eyes made her uneasy and before she could figure out what it was, Grestes lifted his arm and fire shot out of his hand. Kahlan's eyes widened as she saw the flames coming in her direction. Before she could react, the flames ricocheted off of something and suddenly an agonizing scream pierced the air at the same time as the flames hit Grestes in the shoulder.

Richard immediately turned back around, sword in hand and advanced towards the cloak covered old man. Before he could reach him, though, Grestes clutched an amulet that was around his neck, previously covered by his clothes, and pronounced some words under his breath, making him vanish in the air. The Seeker didn't waste any more time and hurried towards Kahlan and what appeared to be an unconscious Alys in her arms.

"Kahlan, what happened?" Richard asked the brunette, while he looked down at the small girl.

"She appeared out of nowhere in front of me and somehow prevented the flames to get to me," Kahlan said, tears falling down her face while she cradled an unconscious Alys in her arms. The Mother Confessor lifted one of the girl's hands and saw that the palms were burnt. "Spirits, look at her hands," Kahlan whispered worriedly.

"What happened?" Cara said behind Kahlan, her breath heavy from the sprinting there from the camp.

"Cara," Kahlan uttered in a strangled sob and motioned helplessly to the child in her arms.

"_Damn girl_, I told her that playing hide and seek in the woods was dangerous, but that girl is better at talking than at listening," the Mord'Sith cursed more to herself than to her companions.

"I'll go get Zedd to help," Richard said and jumped to his feet, running back in the camp's direction without waiting for a reply from the women.

"Give her to me," Cara said after a few moments, already lifting Alys in her arms. "It'll be faster if we bring her to Zedd than the other way around," the blonde explained with a roll of her eyes. Why hadn't Richard though of that first?

"Let's go then," Kahlan said, sniffling discretely and drying her tears with one hand.

"Look at me, Kahlan," Cara said while she stood with Alys safely cradled in her arms. "Stop crying, you know I don't like it," she said half-jokingly, trying to calm the Confessor down. "Alys is going to be okay. The wizard will help her," she stated firmly, with a conviction that she hopped would put the brunette at ease. When Kahlan nodded her head, Cara leaned in to kiss her gently in the lips.

"Thank you," Kahlan said with a smile, inhaling deeply. "I need that. Now let's hurry and get back to Zedd," she said, eyes alert for any danger while jogging towards their camp with the Mord'Sith beside her carrying Alys.

* * *

"He was no old man in need of help, he was a wizard," Zedd growled, after hearing what happened in the woods. He was using magic to cure the burnt marks on Alys's palm as the girl lay, still unconscious, on a bedroll.

"The amulet he used to get away," Richard recalled. "I recognized it," he stated with a nod of his head. "It looked like the one that that wizard used before to find Kahlan and get her back to Aydindril."

"Oloron's amulet," Zedd said, recalling their last trip to Aydindril, which had split Kahlan in two. They had left the restored amulet in the Wizard's Keep; there always had to be a safeguard to find the Mother Confessor if she was needed. "Only a skilled wizard can use the amulet and find the Mother Confessor," the wizard mused out loud. "So this man, whoever he is, is a powerful wizard that is looking specifically for you, my dear," Zedd concluded, lifting his head to look worriedly at the Mother Confessor in front of him.

"I didn't recognize him," Kahlan said from the other side of Alys's prone body. The brunette was caressing her daughters cheek in a comforting gesture, even if the girl probably couldn't feel it.

"By your description I don't recognize him either, but he could also have been using a masking spell," Zedd said, his brown furrowed in effort because of the energy he was expending to help Alys. "I can't do anything more for her injuries, she was struck with wizards fire so I can't cure it totally," he said looking into Kahlan's concerned eyes. "But don't worry my child, she's just drained right now. She'll wake up and the burns will definitely heal in no time on their own," he reassured the Confessor.

"Thank the Creator," Kahlan whispered and sighed with relief.

"Is anyone else wondering how the girl could even have done what she did?" Cara said dryly, pointing out the strangeness of the situation.

"I think I know," Richard said, nodding his head in thought, a small smile appearing on his lips. "Is it possible for a Confessor to have magical powers, other than the Confessor's powers?" the Seeker asked Zedd.

"I never heard of such thing, but in theory it wouldn't be impossible," Zedd said pensively, watching as the smile on his grandson's face widened at his words of confirmation. "Are you suggesting that this girl, beyond being a Confessor is also a sorceress?" Zedd asked the Seeker, already following his grandson's train of thought.

"That's exactly what I'm suggesting," Richard confirmed with a full grin, walking towards Kahlan and kneeling beside the brunette. "I'm saying that this probably means that Alys has magical blood in her; my blood," he said, looking expectantly at Zedd to see if what made perfect sense to him also made sense to his wiser grandfather.

"You may be right, my boy," Zedd said grinning. "Otherwise it would be impossible for her to stop the wizard's fire and judging by the burnt marks in her hands she probably can't harness her powers completely yet," he said, analyzing again the small blonde's injuries.

"I told you Kahlan," Richard whispered to the silent Mother Confessor. "It couldn't be more obvious that she's our daughter," he said, his exhilarated mood preventing him to see that Kahlan wasn't exactly sharing his happiness.

"Richard stop," Kahlan snapped. "Alys is hurt, can we focus on the problem at hand, please?" the Mother Confessor said sternly, her voice louder than she intended.

"I'm sorry, Kahlan," Richard apologized, his eyes showing his surprise at Kahlan's outburst. "Zedd already said she was going to be fine, you don't have to be so upset," he said, believing anger stemmed from her worry over Alys.

"I heard Zedd," Kahlan replied, her voice lowering but remaining hard. "But I'll stop worrying when she opens her eyes and tells me she's okay," the brunette said harshly. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'll go pick a water skin for her to drink when she wakes up," Kahlan said more calmly, getting to her feet and walking towards their bags where Cara stood, agiels in hand and eyes roaming the area around them.

Zedd followed Kahlan with his eyes, noticing that there was more to her irritated outburst than the worry about Alys's condition. He had observed her reaction to Richard's deductions and it seemed to him that she was not as happy about them as his grandson was. A child would mean that Richard and Kahlan would have to be intimate with each other and that act would certainly leave Richard confessed. This had always worried Kahlan, but watching Kahlan and Cara's interactions lately, Zedd suspected that the Confessor's reluctance towards Richard had more to it than the usual obstacles. He had a feeling that his boy was going to have to deal with more pain in the future than he thought. The wizard patted the Seeker's shoulder comfortingly, giving him an encouraging look in hopes of cheering him up.

"Did your hear-" Kahlan started when she got near Cara, but was cut off by the blonde.

"Yes, I did," she said curtly. "I'm trying not to jump to conclusions as you asked, but you can see how difficult that is," she whispered, crouching down to retrieve a water skin from her pack.

"Cara, I know that what Richard is saying makes sense, but you promised me you would trust me," Kahlan said, kneeling besides Cara and resting one warm hand on Cara's forearm.

"And I do," Cara stated firmly. "Don't worry about that, just don't expect me to look happy with Richard's theory," the blonde said, lifting one eyebrow and giving Kahlan the water skin.

"Just remember that it's nothing but a theory," Kahlan said, squeezing Cara's arm and then using it for leverage to get up.

"A theory that makes perfect sense and is backed by a very wise wizard," Cara mumbled while she got to her feet. Kahlan sighed and looked at her with a tired and pleading look. "I'm not like you, I like to vent, that doesn't mean that I'm not here supporting you," Cara said. The Mother Confessor smiled and mouthed to the Mord'Sith '_I know_.' Cara watched with a sad look as the brunette turned around to and returned to her place beside Alys.

* * *

The wizard was standing in the center of a room with stone walls and impeccable marble floors, glaring at the polished rock. His hands were clasped behind his back, holding himself tall as if he were a D'Haran general; his long dark hair was once again perfectly combed and he wore his usual dark blue robes as the illusion of the filthy rags he had disguised himself with moments prior fell away. A slave girl dressed in white toga stood close to the wall, holding a plate with various fruits and wine for him to use if he so wished. He heard firm steps echoing behind him and didn't even bother to turn around to see who it was before speaking.

"Everything ready, Mistress?" he asked in a bored tone.

"Yes," a tall dark haired Mord'Sith replied with certainty. "I have my squad ready to depart. It will be a good opportunity to test the new girl I finished re-breaking yesterday." A sneer crossed her face; it could have been for either the man or the girl.

"Mistress Garren, this is a mission of utmost importance," the Wizard said, turning around to meet the cold eyes of the red clad woman. "I don't think that it's the time to take a newbie for a stroll," he snapped at her.

"Watch your tone, wizard," Garren said menacingly. "Don't forget for a second that even a freshly broken Mord'Sith could kill you without any trouble." She watched in satisfaction as the man clenched his jaw and said nothing at the reminder of his helplessness. "My sisters and I only do what you ask because Lord Rahl told us too. No one in this temple answers to you and they never will," she said viciously.

"I'm perfectly aware of that Mistress Garren," he said with venom. "But I still tell you what to do and taking a new girl could be risky." He smiled coldly.

"Maybe you tell me _what_ to do," she stated in a bored tone. "But not _how_ I do it. You obviously know little about Mord'Sith. I chose the sisters who form the squad that I lead."

"Very well then," he relented, trusting that although the Mord'Sith were cocky and all together unbearable, they were also nothing short of efficient; that is why he had allied himself to them and their master. "I'm sure you know your sisters best. Just bring the little brat to me," he said with venom, his features contorting in a sneer while he absentmindedly lifted one hand to his sore shoulder. "And keep in mind that though she's just a child, she's still a Confessor. For all your abilities, her touch is still fatal to you and your sisters."

"We leave at dawn," Garren said and turned around to walk out of the room.

Neither party noticed a silhouette hiding in the shadows, spying the conversation.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: I'm _really_ sorry it took me this long to update, but my life had been hectic lately and I can't even find time to eat let alone write :( But my schedule will probably improve from now on and I won't have to work from 8.30 a.m. to 11.00 p.m. *fingers crossed* As if that wasn't enough, FF thought it would be fun to make me go crazy! I keep getting this error when I try to update, but thanks to **xxIceEyesxx27 **that was solved. So here is a BIG thank you to **xxIceEyesxx27** for helping me with it :D**

**Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this new chapter and let me know what you think of it, reviews are always appreciated :)**

Chapter 12

The night had fallen and Alys was still unconscious, layed out on her bedroll, hands wrapped in bandages. Kahlan had refused to leave her place beside her daughter, despite Zedd's reassurances that the child would be fine, and barely paid attention to the others as they set up camp around the two Confessors. Cara had quietly taken at seat at the girl's other side, watching in supportive silence as Kahlan murmured quiet prayers, pleading for her daughter to awaken. The Confessor wondered how her future-self was feeling. Was she wondering if her child would ever make it back to her proper time, depending on the last moment she saw Alys in the past as the Triangle of Anuyr took her to an unknown destination, or was she already grieving for a child she_ knew_ was never coming back? Kahlan close her eyes, for a moment succumbing to her emotions as she felt tears gather behind her eyelids; she didn't think she could stand raising Alys, knowing she would loose her. The elder Confessor knew she was overreacting, but she just needed Alys to wake up and be ok. A soft sound from Cara made Kahlan open her eyes, expecting to meet Cara's concerned look, but the Mord'Sith's gaze, which had taken turns shifting between the two Confessor's over the course of the evening, was currently focused on the little blonde girl who was finally beginning to stir.

"Mom?" Alys said hoarsely, looking at Cara groggily with half closed eyes. "You look different," she stated in confusion, scrunching her nose curiously and squinting at Cara as she inspected the older blonde's face.

"I bet," Cara said with a snort. "That's because I'm not her. Look to your right instead," Cara informed the girl with a small smile and nodded her head in Kahlan's direction.

"Mommy…" Alys let out with a breath after turning her head to the right, straining her eyes in the weak light provided by the fire to see Kahlan smiling down at her. The little girl was still clearly confused and not yet wholly alert.

"Hey sweetie," the Confessor whispered, struggling to keep from crying as her throat constricted with the relief that invaded her at seeing that the little blonde was now awake. "How are you feeling?" she asked with concern, affectionately brushing the girl's hair from her face.

"I'm…" Alys trailed off, looking with confusion from a stoic Cara to a concerned Kahlan. "What happened?" she asked, focusing her gaze on Kahlan, her eyebrows furrowing with the effort of trying to remember why she was laying there.

"You were struck by wizard's fire," Kahlan explained, wincing in sadness as her mind again replayed how the girl had been hurt protecting her. "You jumped in front of it to save me," Kahlan add softly, her voice laded with worry and pride.

Alys lifted her hands, peering at the bandages around her palms, the stringent scent of Zedd's burn salve making Kahlan's own hands tingle in sympathy. "Oh, right," the young Confessor said dismissively, flexing her hands tentatively and barely wincing at the pain a wound like that would instigate. This caught Cara's attention and the blonde looked up at Kahlan, seeing the same expression of recognition and surprise on the brunette's face.

"You have to be careful with your hands, sweetie," Kahlan said, covering the girl's hands with her own to stop the little blonde from moving them. "I know it must hurt, but Zedd can't really do much else for you," she explained apologetically.

"I know he can't," Alys said blinking her eyes tiredly, clearly still feeling out of sorts. "It doesn't hurt as much as you think," she added in a weary whisper to reassure Kahlan.

"Here, have something to drink," Cara offered, extending her water skin towards the girl and eyeing her curiously as Alys obediently sat up and let Cara help her take a few sips, careful not to tilt the water skin too far and make the girl choke . "What do you mean it doesn't hurt? You burnt your hands," Cara asked, moving one arm to Alys's back instinctively to support the fragile girl as she set the water skin aside.

"Thanks," Alys said, smiling up at Cara and letting her body go limp against Cara's side. "I've burnt them before like this," Alys explained, looking unconcernedly down at her palms through heavy lids while snuggling closer to Cara. "Zedd healed the most of it too and they went back to normal in less than a day," she added, closing her eyes and burrowing her face in Cara's chest.

The Mord'Sith had a puzzled expression on her face as she watched the young confessor get comfortable against her body. Cara looked up at Kahlan and sighed when she saw the utterly amused expression on the Confessor's face. Kahlan caught Cara's gaze and mouthed '_so cute_' to the blonde woman, watching in delight as Cara scoffed at her and cleared her throat awkwardly.

"Were you attacked with wizard's fire before?" the Mord'Sith asked in a low voice, turning her attention back to Alys. She was confused as to why a child would have been put in the position of having to defend herself from that, especially Kahlan's child, who Cara presumed would be well protected.

"Naw," Alys mumbled into Cara's leather. "I just put my hand were I shouldn't have," she explained vaguely with a sleepy sigh, visibly on her way to falling back asleep.

Noticing that the girl was beginning to fall back asleep, Cara looked over at Kahlan for help, her eyes comically wide. Surely no one expected her to be a pillow for the child. Kahlan chuckle slightly at Cara's panicked expression and crawled next to the two blondes to lift Alys off of Cara, transferring her back to the pallet.

"You learned how to deflect wizard's fire from your father didn't you?" Richard said, walking over as he noticed Alys was awake and catching the tail end of the conversation, the question sounding more like an affirmation than a question.

"Don't be silly, I don't have a father," Alys replied automatically, yawning as she let Kahlan pull her away from Cara's side and tuck the covers around her.

At her words every adult froze and looked expectantly at Alys. Even Zedd got up from his place next to the fire and came to stand behind his grandson. Kahlan looked at Alys with astonishment and then lifted her gaze to meet Cara's equally surprised one. Both women looked down again at the girl between them, as Alys suddenly opened her eyes wide and inhaled through her teeth, clearly realizing what she had absentmindedly told them in her state of drowsiness.

"You don't have a father?" Richard asked disbelievingly, chuckling nervously as his eyebrows furrowed in confusion and worry. Was it possible that he would die while Alys was still young? That would certainly explain why the blonde Confessor seemed to seek his company as if she hadn't see him in a long time.

"Hmm… I-I mean… hmmm," Alys stuttered, her eyes shifting nervously from side to side, trying to avoid Richard's inquisitive look. She clutched one fist on Kahlan's dress and the other one on Cara's thigh, silently asking both women for help. Recognizing the gesture, Kahlan opened her mouth to tell Richard to let Alys rest when he spoke.

"Am I dead in your time?" the Seeker let out in an unsure whisper, voicing his fear and making Cara and Kahlan stare at him with in bewilderment.

"Dead?" Alys echoed in utter confusion, sitting up and looking quizzically at the man standing in front of her as if he had said the most absurd thing the little girl could think of.

"Then why do you say you don't have a father? You mean you don't know him?" Richard started uncomfortably, his voice sounded unsure. "Your mother just took a mate?" he asked, fearful to hear the answer.

"Richard how about you let the girl breathe and rest?" Cara said calmly. "She's obviously not up to an interrogation right now." Her voice hardened a little as she felt a sense of protectiveness towards the distressed girl beside her.

"Why would you care?" Richard snapped at Cara, making everyone look at him in surprise, except for Cara, who looked at him with something akin to understanding. That look, one Richard couldn't completely identify, only made Richard's stomach churn with unease. A hard knot of dread lodged in his belly and he turned to the one person who could answer his only real question. "Did she, Alys?" he demanded, regretting his tone immediately, but unable to change it.

"Richard, you are out of line," Kahlan said in a cold tone, getting up to put herself between the furious Seeker and the two blondes on the ground, noticing, as she did so, that Alys rapidly snuggled up to Cara again.

"That's exactly what happened," Alys revealed, looking up at Richard from her secure place under Cara's protective arm. "Mommy took a mate and then I was born," she said, firmly.

The sudden tension in Kahlan's stance was all the confirmation Cara needed to know that her magic had sensed the truth in Alys's words. Richard's magic worked differently than a Confessor's, but he too knew, with unquestionable clarity, that Alys was telling the truth. His fists clenched as he struggled to keep all of his emotions from spilling out into the very air around him.

"Richard calm down, you're scaring Alys," Kahlan said in a stern whisper, noting the cloud that had fallen over the Seeker's face. "And frankly you're scaring me too." She meet Richard's troubled eyes, looking into them to see how close he truly was to losing control of his anger. The rage she could see boiling behind those usually calm eyes scared her.

"I'm sorry," Richard sighed, finally able to somehow contain the anger he felt inside him at hearing that Alys was not his daughter and that Kahlan would someday lay with another man. "I didn't mean to scare you Alys," he said softly, kneeling down to look at the wary girl tucked to Cara's side.

Alys looked closely at Richard and at seeing true regret in the man's eyes, she left Cara's embrace and moved past Kahlan, who stepped aside, to the Seeker. "It's okay," Alys said sweetly, hugging the man to convey that she truly forgave him for his outburst.

Cara looked closely at the Seeker's poorly illuminated face and saw a small tear slide down the young man's cheek. Concerned, the blonde averted her eyes and looked up at Kahlan's profile. The Confessor was noticeable struggling with something while she watched Richard hugging Alys. As Cara moved to get up, Kahlan turned her head to capture Cara's eyes, the expression on her face pinning Cara in place. The Confessor looked at once strangely sad and completely resolute; a moment of silent understanding passed between them as Kahlan tilted her head toward Richard. It was time to be honest. Cara nodded her approval and climbed the rest of the way to her feet. Hesitantly, she moved to stand beside Kahlan, letting a supportive hand come to rest on the small of Kahlan's back. A small smile graced Cara's face as the Confessor took a deep calming breath and smiled gratefully back at her.

"Do you want to eat something, Alys?" Cara asked, bringing the girl's attention to her. "You must be hungry," she said, enticing Alys to come with her and leave Richard and Kahlan alone.

"Yes, I really am," Alys said with a small chuckle of realization. The girl smiled at Richard and gave him a little peck on the cheek before climbing carefully to her feet. Seeing how the girl swayed a little with exhaustion, Cara sighed and scooped the child up, carrying her over to the stewpot before the little blond could object to the indignity.

Kahlan stood still for a couple of seconds, caught in a small moment of admiration for the caring way Cara dealt with Alys and how the Mord'Sith was capable of giving the brunette such support just with a look and a touch. Kahlan shook her head slightly and focused her gaze on the sad man kneeling beside her. Richard was watching Alys walk away with a troubled look and heavy shoulders.

"Richard," Kahlan called softly, watching as the Seeker turned his head to her and slowly stood to face her with a resigned and fearful look. "I need to talk to you, alone," she said with a kind, but calmly determined, look in her eyes as she tried to make the difficult conversation easier for Richard.

Richard fixed his anxious gaze on Kahlan and took a deep calming breath. By the resolute and worried look in Kahlan's eyes, he could imagine that whatever the Confessor wanted to say to him would not be pleasant. The Seeker turned his head to meet Zedd's eyes, his grandfather still standing quietly behind him, worry etched into his face. The wizard's concerned look turned to one of encouragement as he pated Richard's shoulder affectionately and supportively. He then looked at Kahlan with a sad smile, but gave her a slight nod before turning around to join the two blonde's by the fire.

Richard sighed and turned back to the brunette. "After you," he said quietly, motioning for Kahlan to lead them to somewhere more private. The look Kahlan directed at the fire area as they left was not lost on him; it almost looked like the Confessor was seeking support. When he turned to look where Kahlan had been looking, he had seen Cara looking back at the brunette with an intense and gentle expression he had never seen before on the cold Mord'Sith's face. Richard shook his head, not wanting to think about what that shared look between the two women could mean. He turned and followed Kahlan into the woods.

Cara watched as the two moved away, Richard's curious look towards her did not escape the Mord'Sith's notice. It was possible that the Seeker already suspected that something was going on between her and Kahlan, but was too afraid to see the truth for himself. She stared at the spot where the two figures had disappeared into the dark and felt an extremely powerful need to follow them and make sure Kahlan would be safe. Not that she thought that Richard would hurt her, but she was familiar with how fast the Seeker's blood boiled and she had seen Richard's temper rise before. Cara sighed restlessly and turned her attention back to the plate of stew she was preparing for Alys. There was nothing she could do now but trust Kahlan and let the brunette handle the situation; she was definitely better than Cara at this type of conversations – or any others for that matter.

The blonde finished Alys's plate and offered it to the patient girl sitting next to her. Cara nodded distractedly at the girl's polite thanks, observing her to make sure Alys was capable of handling the fork by herself and lifted her head when she felt eyes on her. She had only half noticed the wizard sitting in front of her, across the fire, but the scrutiny of his gaze was now making her slightly nervous. Apparently, it looked like there was someone else that had a suspicion about the reason Kahlan had for wanting to talk to Richard.

"Something wrong, wizard?" she asked dryly, trying to forestall the knowing and searching looks Zedd was giving her.

"Not wrong," Zedd replied calmly. "Just unexpected," he added after a brief meditative pause, looking at Cara with a small smile.

Cara averted her eyes and busied herself watching Alys eat her stew with gusto. She really didn't want to talk to Zedd about the unexpected thing to which he was probably referring. Cara was aware that Zedd was a lot more perceptive than he let on, but she would prefer if he didn't discuss his suspicions with her; the mere though of it was enough to make her uncomfortable. Thankfully the wizard was sensible enough to understand Cara's reluctance and said nothing further, but the blonde noticed the worried glance he shot towards the trees where Richard and Kahlan probably were.

The Mord'Sith's eyes also darted to the trees involuntarily, wishing that Kahlan would appear between them. She hated to wait without having anything to do, but right now there was nothing else for her to do besides waiting.

* * *

"I guess Zedd was right," Richard said sadly, once they stopped at a clearing away from the camp. "Knowing the future is not so good," he said, in a heartfelt attempt at humor to deal with the dreadful situation in which he found himself^. Seeing as Kahlan just kept looking at him with a broken expression, opening her mouth to speak but closing it shortly after and swallowing hard, Richard strongly suspected that he was about to hear something else he wouldn't like. "Whatever it is Kahlan, just say it," he encouraged the Confessor, feeling his chest constrict with the certainty of knowing something was about to go terribly wrong but not knowing exactly how.

"Richard, I don't want to hurt you," Kahlan said, tears pooling in her eyes and hands clasped together in worry. "I really don't," she repeated as her voice cracked with emotion, closing her eyes and letting the tears fall, taking a deep breath in order to control herself and carry on with what she had to tell Richard. She opened her eyes again when she felt Richard's hands cover her own and looked up to see the Seeker's watery eyes looking expectantly back at her.

"I know you don't," Richard confirmed softly, lifting one hand to cup Kahlan's cheek tenderly. "Just tell me what's bothering you," he prompted the distraught Confessor in front of him.

"Richard you mean so much to me," Kahlan started with a gentle and sad smile, moving her hand to caress the man's stub covered cheek comfortingly. "You were the first person who looked at me and saw a girl and not just a Confessor," she continued, dreading the fact that she was about to break Richard's heart. "You were my first real friend and you were my first love," Kahlan said between sniffs, pausing to prepare herself to hurt this amazing man she held so dearly to her heart. "I love you Richard, but," she trailed off, clutching Richard's hand without really knowing if she was doing it to give him strength or to get herself strength in order to continue what she had already begun.

"But what, Kahlan?" Richard asked nervously. "What is it?" he said, anxiously searching Kahlan's teary eyes for answers.

"I love you," Kahlan repeated gently and calmly, blinking the tears from her eyes and sniffling before revealing the rest. "But I can't love you the way you want me to anymore," she revealed finally, preparing herself for Richard's reaction.

"You can't love me?" the Seeker repeated, confused and scared. "I know there's a lot preventing us from being together," he said, cupping both of Kahlan's cheeks to gain the brunette's full attention. "But we will find a way to overcome that, we always said we would. We can't let fate guide our lives, Kahlan. Even if Alys's words were written in stone, it would mean absolutely nothing," he said desperately, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion when Kahlan's sad expression didn't change, convinced by his enthusiasm in the way that she used to be.

"It's not that, Richard," Kahlan whispered jadedly, grabbing Richard's hands on her face and bringing them to rest clasped in her own between their bodies. "I can't love you because I'm in love with someone else," she said honestly, knowing that Richard deserved to know everything and hoping that he would understand. The look of concentration on the Seeker's face told her that he was racking his brain for the person with whom Kahlan could possibly be in love.

"Someone else?" he said almost distractedly. "But who could possib-," he trailed off as his eyes widened in understanding. Richard looked at Kahlan, asking silently for the brunette to confirm or deny his thoughts. When Kahlan gave him a questioning and expectant look he realized that he had to voice his suspicion to have it confirmed or denied.

"Cara…" he said in a broken whisper, not sure if he was asking or if deep inside of him he had already know this for a while. Watching Kahlan blink slowly and nod her head was all it took for his world to come crushing down. Richard brusquely let go of Kahlan's hands and moved his hands to bury in his own hair in desperation, turning his back to the woman he loved more than anything.

"Richard," Kahlan called concernedly, a new wave of tears sliding down her face. She tried to reach for Richard, but when her hand made contact with the distraught man's shoulder he quickly shrugged her off and took a couple more steps away from her. Kahlan brought her hands to cover her mouth, preventing the heavy sobs from escaping, but being useless to stop the burning ache she felt in her chest at the sight of Richard hurting because of her. She couldn't help but wish that Cara was there with her right now, holding her and making her fell better with her calm and strong presence. Despite her selfish wishes of comfort, her mind quickly reminded her that now was not the time for her to be comforted, now she had to comfort Richard in some way.

"Richard," she called again after a few moments of silence. "Please, say something," she begged, not able to withstand the torture of not being able to do something to make Richard feel better.

"What do you want me to say?" Richard shouted suddenly, turning to face Kahlan with his arms opened in frustration. "That I feel betrayed that you are thinking about someone else while I'm here convinced that we are in love with each other," he said, his voice rising and his eyes red with tears.

"I'm sorry," Kahlan said, trying to soothe him somehow. "I didn't mean for it to happen, but it did and I can't choose who I fall in love with, Richard," she stated firmly, albeit gently.

"Do you think she could ever love you back?" Richard questioned, his features contorting in anger and jealously. "She's a Mord'Sith, Kahlan," he stated, desperate to find some way to prevent Kahlan from leaving him. "She's the one who says she doesn't believe in, nor knows how to, love!" he shouted angrily, hoping to make a valid point, but knowing that Cara only said that to keep up her tough image.

"That's not Cara," Kahlan denied, shaking her head rapidly. "That's not the Cara we know and you were the one who showed me that," Kahlan recalled. "You were the one who showed me that she is so much more than Mord'Sith. That she's capable of good despite the life she was forced to live," the brunette continued with a confident and hard tone. She understood that Richard was probably saying all those hurtful things about Cara because he was hurt, but she wasn't going to stand there and listen to it without defending the blonde Mord'Sith.

"And look how well that went for me," Richard said with a humorless laugh. "I helped her and this is how she thanks me, by betraying me," he shouted, gesturing angrily with his arms. "What did she do to you?" he asked heatedly, looking directly at Kahlan. "After all Mord'Sith are known to be masters at seduction," he sneered spitefully. The taunting smile was ripped from his lips when Kahlan expression morphed into the stone cold one he often saw when she was truly angry.

"Don't you dare insinuate that sort of thing about Cara," Kahlan warned icily, her voice rising as she felt the control over her emotions slip. "And I'm not a helpless girl who can be easily seduced. She didn't seduce me, she would never force me to do anything, and she would never betray you, or do anything to hurt you if she could help it," she said ardently, her voice and body shaking in anger before Richard's attitude. "But she can't because she loves me too, Richard," Kahlan confirmed, her voice softening with a sigh at the last.

"How do you know?" the Seeker shouted again, the sadness consuming him and channeling his sorrow in the former of angry explosions of bitter words. His heated reaction very similar to the way he, as the Seeker, used rage to protect himself from the emotional pain the sword made him feel for killing someone.

"Because she told me so," Kahlan shouted too, tired of Richard's doubts about Cara's feelings for her. "And she tells me again and again every time she looks at me or touches me," she finished more calmly, but not less fervently. "Cara is as much in love with me as I am in love with her and there's nothing anyone can do about that," she said decisively. "I'm sorry that this hurts you, I really am, but I won't go against my feelings, Richard."

"And you think she could make you happy?" he insisted, not wanting to believe that Kahlan would choose Cara over him.

"She already does," Kahlan stated softly, an involuntary smile stretching her lips at the mere thought of how much the blonde woman made her happy.

"So, I assume that this had been going on for a while behind my back," Richard said, shaking his head in disbelieve.

"We never meant to lie to you, Richard," Kahlan said hurriedly. "We only discovered our feelings very recently and I was just waiting for a good time to tell you," the brunette explained. "I was the one who kept delaying it because I wanted to tell you myself."

"Well, now you did," Richard said brokenly. "Now leave me alone, please," he said, turning around and lacing his fingers on the back of his neck and taking a deep breath to calm himself.

"Richard,"

"Leave. Me. Alone," Richard repeated, enunciating each word pointedly.

"I'm sorry, Richard," Kahlan whispered once more before turning around and walking back towards the camp, leaving a broken man behind and hoping that he would come around and everything would be okay between them. She treasured Richard's friendship and she hoped that he could remember that bond between them after he calmed down.

* * *

"I know that it's impossible to command your heart, but it's a little easier to command your feet," Zedd said kindly, with a mischievous tinkle in his eyes, watching as Cara stiffened at his remark. "Why don't' you stop pacing and come sit down," he suggested to the very anxious Mord'Sith pacing back and forth at the edge of the camp.

"I'm not pacing," Cara snapped, halting her steps and looking aggrievedly at Zedd. "I'm making sure no one is lurking beyond the perimeter of our camp," she explained in a calmer voice, darting her eyes to Alys's sleeping form on her own bedroll a few feet away from where she had paused, in order to avoid Zedd's unnerving eyes.

"I'm sorry, my dear," Zedd said with a smirk. "My mistake, my vision is not as good as it used to be," he added mockingly, his smirk growing at Cara's shifting feet and poor attempts at covering her nervous state. The Mord'Sith didn't reply, instead she huffed indignantly and turned her attention back to the line of trees, resuming her pacing away from the bedroll where the young Confessor slept.

Zedd watched Cara intently, amused by the Mord'Sith's stubborn denial of her anxious state despite her inability to keep herself from pacing nervously. The blonde's sudden halt on her steps and the way she tensely glanced back towards the trees behind Alys's bedroll, alerted the wizard to an approaching presence. A flash of white fabric reflecting the fire light caught his attention and he squinted his eyes to watch a figure emerge from the trees, where Richard and Kahlan had disappeared before. The wizard saw that it was Kahlan, walking slowly and wiping her hands over her cheeks. Zedd wasted no time in getting up to meet the Confessor halfway.

"Are you okay, my child?" Zedd asked concernedly, placing both hands on Kahlan's shoulders and noticing the tears pooling on the brunette's blue eyes.

His gentle tone and comforting gesture only made Kahlan's tears fall with renewed force. She looked up into the tall wizard's eyes and slowly shook her head as she brought her hands up to wipe her tears again.

"I'm sure everything is going to be fine," Zedd said soothingly, bringing Kahlan's body close to his in a comforting hug. He looked down, surprised, when the Confessor pulled out of his arms and looked at him worriedly.

"Zedd, I never meant to hurt him," Kahlan said sadly, putting distance between her and the wizard, almost certain that Zedd would not offer his comfort if he knew why she was upset and half expecting that the old man would be mad at her for breaking his grandson's heart. "I just fell in love with Cara," she said simply, looking past Zedd at the slowly approaching blonde.

"I know," Zedd confirmed with a kind smile, seeing Kahlan's eyes turning quickly to him and widen in surprise. "You don't have to explain anything to me and you certainly don't have to explain why you love someone," he said, squeezing Kahlan's shoulders affectionately. "Now, go see if you can stop Cara from pacing before she opens a rift in the ground that reaches the Underworld; we don't need any more of those," he said with a smile, making Kahlan chuckle. "I'll go see Richard," Zedd informed her more solemnly and took off in search of his surely distraught grandson.

"What happened?" Cara asked after clearing her throat; her voice was calm, but her eyes searched Kahlan's anxiously.

Kahlan just looked sadly at the blonde and approached her, leaning her body into Cara's and resting her head on the nook of the blonde's neck. The brunette surrounded the Mord'Sith's waist with one arm and lifted the other to rest the palm of her hand over the blonde's heart. As soon as her hand came in contact with Cara's skin, the brunette felt the rapid beat of the blonde's heart and smiled against the soft skin of Cara's neck, letting out a small chuckle. Kahlan felt the blonde's arms move to encircle her waist, immediately giving her the comfort she sought out without asking any questions. The closeness of Cara's body calmed her considerably, as did the blonde's patience and willingness to give Kahlan physical comfort; it was clearly something Cara was not that familiar with and it made Kahlan feel loved like never before.

"So, you were pacing," the brunette said amusedly, lifting her head to look into Cara's questioning eyes as she answered the Mord'Sith unasked question. "Zedd told me you were nervous and were pacing for a long time now."

"I wasn't-" Cara started with a scoff, before Kahlan cut her off.

"Your heart is hammering, Cara," Kahlan interrupted, pressing her hand more firmly against the Mord'Sith chest. "You have no reason to be anxious," she reassured, leaning her forehead against Cara's in a tender gesture, smiling when she felt the blonde's arms hug her closer. She knew how insecure Cara could be about her feelings; even if the blonde did her best to present a brave façade, Kahlan knew the Mord'Sith was anything but impassive when it came to her.

"So how was it?" Cara finally asked, watching as Kahlan's smile was replaced with a sad frown.

"He was so hurt and angry," Kahlan said. She silenced the blonde with a look when she noticed that Cara was going to respond. "I know it couldn't be avoided, but that doesn't make it less painful."

Cara nodded understandingly and ran a soothing hand up and down Kahlan's tense back.

"I kept wishing you were there with me," Kahlan said with a small smile, caressing the exposed skin on Cara's chest.

"I don't think Richard would have appreciated that," the blonde replied with skeptical shake of her head.

"But _I_ would have," the brunette said in a small voice, her gaze fixed on the invisible patterns her fingers were drawing on Cara's chest.

"I'm here now," Cara offered sincerely, lifting Kahlan's chin with her fingers and kissing the Confessor's lips tenderly.

Kahlan let out a relieved sigh as Cara's lips came in contact with her own. She moved her hand from Cara's chest to the back of the blonde' neck and brought the woman closer to her, deepening the sweet kiss. Kahlan shivered at the feel of Cara's hand sliding up her back and tangle in her long hair, making the Confessor loose herself in Cara's caress and forget the knot that the recent events had put on her stomach. The blonde's silk lips glided effortlessly against her own in a dance that was becoming more familiar every day.

Kahlan let out a protesting whimper when she felt Cara end the kiss and watched as the Mord'Sith brought one hand to her own mouth and tugged off her glove with her teeth, tucking it into her belt. The blonde took a step away from Kahlan and offered her hand in invitation to the brunette, nodding in the fire's direction.

"Come eat something," Cara said softly, her hand still outstretched as she waited for Kahlan to take it.

"I'm not really hungry," Kahlan denied, but took Cara's hand without hesitation and laced their fingers together, marveling at the simple and fulfilling contact. "I'm just tired, I feel drained," the Confessor said with a sigh, looking around the camp in search of something.

"She's asleep in my bedroll," Cara answered to Kahlan's unasked question, glancing over at the sleeping Alys a few feet away from the fire, snuggly tucked in Cara's bedroll.

Kahlan looked from Alys to the blonde walking beside her and gently bumped Cara's shoulder with her own, smiling brightly when Cara looked at her and just shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. The noncommittal posture confirmed Kahlan's suspicions that it had been Cara who tended to Alys tonight. It also let the brunette know that the Mord'Sith didn't want to delve in the careful manner in which she had obviously tended to the little girl, but Kahlan made a mental note to talk about that with the blonde Mord'Sith sometime soon; maybe tease her a little.

Kahlan was about to sink down onto the ground against a log when Cara's hand restrained her and guided to sit on the opposite side of the fire instead.

Kahlan did as she was suggested but looked inquiringly at Cara. The blonde let Kahlan sat down and turned to the pot of stew. "I can't see Alys from there," she explained simply, tilting her head towards the place the brunette was going to sit first and her eyes focusing on the task of serving Kahlan a plate of food.

"Here," the Mord'Sith said gently, offering the plate to Kahlan. "It'll make you feel better," she added, lifting one eyebrow in slight annoyance at Kahlan's renewed refusal to eat.

Amused and convinced by Cara's insistence, Kahlan relented and took the plate of food with one hand and tugged Cara down to sit next to her with the other. The Mord'Sith gladly sat down next to Kahlan, her back against a rock and her legs outstretched and crossed at the ankles. The blonde smiled when Kahlan immediately lifted her arm and brought it around her own shoulders, snuggling against Cara's side while eating her food with a humming sound of satisfaction. Cara smiled gently while she watched Kahlan eat halfheartedly, content in just giving Kahlan a soft place against which she could lean.

After a few bites Kahlan turned her head to gaze at the woman beside her. "I love how protective you are," the brunette beamed at Cara, looking from her plate to the slumbering form of her daughter.

"It's called being careful," Cara replied with a raised eyebrow, tugging her other glove off with the help of her teeth.

"Okay then, I love how careful you are," Kahlan said teasingly, cupping Cara's cheek and bringing the smirking blonde's lips to meet her own in a brief kiss. Then she put her still half full plate to the side and surrounded Cara's waist with her arms, snuggling more closely against the blonde's warm body.

"Aren't you going to eat anything more?" Cara asked, eyeing the discarded plate of food next to Kahlan.

"I'm not that hungry, Cara," Kahlan said, turning her head and burying it in Cara's neck. "My stomach is in knots right now," she added, exhaling a puff of air onto Cara's exposed skin. The Confessor rested her head on the blonde's shoulder and looked at the fire in front of them with a pensive expression.

"How did he react?" Cara asked softly after a few moments of patiently letting Kahlan take her time processing everything that was changing around her.

"He was angry, but, mostly, he was hurt," Kahlan answered. "He," she started, but trailed off hesitantly. Kahlan took a breath while she pondered if she should share Richard's words about Cara with the blonde. A small part of her brain noted, with pleasure, how Cara didn't rush her into telling her what had happened. This calm and patient side of the Mord'Sith would surprise a lot of people, Kahlan was certain of it. "He implied that you had done something to get me to love you; that you had seduced me in some way," the Confessor revealed finally, giving a little disbelieving chuckle, not wanting to make a big deal about Richard's hurt filled words.

Kahlan felt Cara take a deep breath next to her and felt the blonde's muscles tighten under the red leather. The Confessor had clearly hit the limit of Cara's ability to stay calm; the Mord'Sith was obviously not pleased with Richard's assumptions.

"He is hurting, Cara," Kahlan said gently, moving a soothing hand to the blonde's chest. "Don't take him seriously," she requested, lifting her head to look into pensive green eyes that were fixed on the flames.

"He was serious enough to consider that I would be capable of doing something like that," Cara said in a flat tone, her tense body the only clue to how Richard's words had troubled her.

"I'm sure he didn't mean it," Kahlan said, trying to prevent Cara from becoming too upset. "He was so heartbroken, I could see in his eyes that all that anger was fueled by sadness," the Confessor clarified, nuzzling Cara's jaw with her nose.

"I guess I can relate to that," Cara stated with a sigh, turning her head to look deep into Kahlan's blue eyes and placing her hand over the one Kahlan had on her chest. "But he'll just have to deal with it," the blonde said decisively. "You're not anyone's property; you're the one who decides with whom you want to be, not him, not me, not anyone else," she said, lifting her hand from Kahlan's and gesturing with it in frustration.

"How did you get so wise?" Kahlan asked playfully, grabbing Cara's flying hand and kissing the palm, before wrapping the blonde's arm around her waist.

"If you think it takes a genius to understand that, there's something wrong with you," Cara stated, looking sideways at Kahlan and pulling the brunette fully into her arms, efficiently bringing Kahlan half on top of her body.

"I don't think it takes a genius," Kahlan said softly, using her fingers to turn the blonde's head fully towards her. "Just a mature and selfless person," she whispered against the Mord'Sith's slightly parted lips. "Who I had the luck to find," she said, pointedly kissing Cara's lips.

"Yes, you're right about that," Cara agreed with a serious face. "You were really lucky," the blonde finished teasingly.

"Weren't you lucky too?" Kahlan asked expectantly, a tint of red coloring her cheeks in sudden shyness about asking that.

"I'm sitting in the hard ground, feeding you, and serving as a cushion," Cara stated, looking at Kahlan with a barely-there smile. "Does that seem lucky to you?" she asked dryly, trying unsuccessfully to maintain a serious face.

The brunette smiled lovingly back at Cara, squinting her eyes playfully, and cupped the back of the blonde's neck to bring their mouths together in an open mouth kiss, slow and passionate. Kahlan traced the blonde's supple lips languidly with her tongue; caressing the hairs at the nape of Cara's neck and feeling the Mord'Sith's hands tighten around her body. The Confessor moaned softly when her tongue met Cara's and instinctively lifted one leg to drape it over the blonde's lap, moaning again in appreciation as Cara's hand moved to squeeze her backside.

"Did _that_ seem lucky to you?" Kahlan cheekily asked after ending the kiss, watching Cara's unfocused and aroused gaze struggling to concentrate.

"It seemed," the blonde trailed off pensively. "Not enough," Cara finished smirking and leaned in to capture Kahlan's smiling lips again. The blonde took her time thoroughly exploring the Confessor's compliant mouth before removing her lips from Kahlan's to trace a path of kisses down the brunette's throat. When she was about to make her way up Kahlan's pale neck, she heard a crackling sound that interrupted the exciting sounds that were Kahlan's soft sighs and moans. Cara lifted her head to look at the Confessor's questioning eyes and motioned with her eyes to the line of trees behind them, giving Kahlan's thigh a comforting squeeze as it slid from her lap.

Kahlan turned her head to see Zedd's form appear behind a tree, followed by the slumped form of Richard. The contented smile left her lips to be replaced by a concerned frown. She looked back at Cara who was inspecting the men's approach by the corner of her eye, never loosening the embrace in which she had Kahlan in. Kahlan let her hand move from Cara's neck to glide over the Mord'Sith's front and stop on the blonde's stomach to rub it soothingly. When Cara focused her attention back on the brunette, Kahlan pursed her lips with a resigned sigh and watched as Cara looked understandingly back at her.

Kahlan disentangled herself from Cara's toned body and looked anxiously at Zedd, watching with relief as the wizard gave her a warm smile and patted her shoulder affectionately as he passed her to go to his bedroll.

"I'll turn in for the night," he said to no one in particular. "Good night," he said, taking a moment to look at Cara and give a warm smile too, chuckling to himself at the Mord'Sith's surprised look.

Richard stopped a few feet away from both women, looking like he wanted something but didn't have the strength to speak. When he finally lifted his gaze from the ground to look at Kahlan, the Confessor gasped at his puffed and red eyes, a clear sign that he had been crying.

"I want to apologize for the way I reacted earlier," Richard said sincerely. "I was hurt," he justified, shaking his head slowly. "I still am, but I know that I can't stand in the way of your feelings or condemn you for not loving me anymore," he continued, looking tenderly at Kahlan. "I want you to know that I'm not mad at you; as Zedd told me just now: we are not the owners of our own hearts, they run to whomever they want, we have no power to stop them," he shared his grandparent's words with a sad smile.

Kahlan let an emotional tear run down her cheek and covered the distance separating her from the Seeker to throw her arms around the broad shoulders to engulf Richard in a tight hug. The young man returned the hug fiercely, closing his eyes tightly as a stray tear fell down his cheek. Richard took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of Kahlan's hair and lifted his gaze to meet a pair of vigilant, but concerned green eyes.

He watched as Cara held his gaze with no trace of a defiant or cold attitude, the Mord'Sith had a rare empathic look on her face and the fact that the blonde didn't shy away from meeting his eyes made him finally witness the reality of Cara's feelings for Kahlan. It was clear to him that the Mord'Sith held no regret or guilt about falling in love with Kahlan. If the contrary was true, he was sure she would be asking for his forgiveness by now, for the forgiveness of her Lord Rahl; but Cara did none of that, she just stood tall, observing his interaction with Kahlan with nothing more than an understanding and carefully curious look on her face.

"I knew you would understand eventually," Kahlan said with certainty, looking gratefully at her friend. She would always consider Richard one of her closest and dearest friends. "And we have something bigger than us to achieve, we can't let our feelings jeopardize the quest we have to finish," Kahlan reminded.

"Of course not, you're still my Confessor after all," Richard said with a small laugh. "You're just not my Kahlan anymore," he said with a slightly quavering voice, his smile fading and his eyes tearing up a bit.

"Richard," Kahlan said, raising her hand to touch Richard's cheek comfortingly.

"It's okay," the Seeker said, grabbing Kahlan's hand before it could reach its intended destination. "I'm sure we'll be okay eventually, I just need a little time to," he trailed off with a sigh. "Get use to things," he concluded vaguely, glancing briefly over Kahlan's shoulder's at the blonde Mord'Sith. "I'm always here for you Kahlan," he affirmed with an authentic smile. "I love you and all I want is for you to be happy," he said sincerely, squeezing Kahlan's hand between his.

"I love you too, you will always have my friendship," Kahlan confirmed, squeezing his hands back reassuringly. "I want you to be happy," she said, smiling up at Richard. "And I'm sure you will, just not by my side," she concluded, looking back over her shoulder at Cara and giving the blonde a loving smile.

"I guess I had noticed something change between you two," Richard said shrugging his shoulders, observing with surprise as Cara let her lips twitch in a small, but genuine smile when the blonde returned Kahlan's loving look. "I just thought you were becoming closest friends, I never thought that," he trailed off, taking a deep breath and looking down at his hands entwined with Kahlan's.

"We never thought either," Kahlan said, returning her attention to Richard. "But it happened and it's something we both want, desperately," she explained, wanting to gently make clear for Richard that this was permanent and Cara was the only one she wanted to be with. The Confessor watched with relief as Richard nodded his understanding and acceptance.

"I have to admit, though," he said with a cheeky smile, clearly trying to end the gloom tone of the conversation. "You have good taste," he said with a small chuckle to lighten the mood, watching as Kahlan smiled along with him. "And most importantly, I couldn't think of anyone I would trust the most to be with you and make you happy," he said with complete honesty, looking at Cara and nodding his head as if to confirm that he truly believed his words.

"She makes me the happiest woman walking this world," Kahlan whispering dreamily, turning to look adoringly at the blonde still standing on the same spot, facing them but giving them some privacy at the same time.

"I'm glad, then," Richard said halfheartedly, but the sincerity of his words didn't escape the Confessor, which made her smile with the confidence that this would not cause problems between them.

The Seeker squeezed Kahlan's hands one more time and then let go to start walking towards the fire area, where an unexpressive Mord'Sith stood broodingly with her arms crossed over her chest. He looked into Cara's slightly narrowed eyes and felt suddenly uncomfortable without knowing exactly what to say.

"My loyalty to you is unquestionable," Cara said with a firm, somewhat reproachful tone, leaving no place for her words to be doubted.

"I know that," Richard replied with a slight nod of his head, now more sure than ever that Cara had never meant to hurt him, she was just doing what Richard often told her to do – follow her heart.

"As is my loyalty to her," Cara said nodding at Kahlan, her voice lowering to an almost menacing tone.

Richard was a little taken aback by the Mord'Sith protective tone. Not that he wasn't aware that the blonde was very protective and loyal, but he had never before witnessed this level of fierce protectiveness, which he could see radiating from green eyes. Despite his sadness about losing Kahlan, he couldn't be angry at Cara, not when he could clearly perceive the seriousness behind the blonde's words.

The Seeker also understood that the blonde was telling him, in her own peculiar way, that she never meant to hurt him, but she wasn't giving up on what she and Kahlan had. Knowing that the Mord'Sith was not a woman of many words, he just extended his arm in a friendly gesture, hoping that Cara would take it and recognize the meaning of his peace offering. Without great surprise, he watched as Cara extended her own arm to clasp his forearm firmly, looking deeply into his eyes and nodding her head curtly in understanding.

"I can keep watch if you want to get some sleep," Richard said to both women.

"I'll stay awake," Cara said firmly. "You go rest," she suggested with a curt nod of her head, this being her own way of showing Richard that she cared about him and was trying to do something to make him feel better.

The Seeker gave her a small smile, seeming to easily comprehend Cara's taciturn attempt of showing him that she cared. He gave Kahlan a gentle smile too, before leaving the two women alone with an almost whispered 'good night'.

The two women watched Richard walk away to his bedroll, feeling a strange sense of calmness that came from having finally dealt with the shadow that had been Kahlan's relationship with Richard at last shed from over their own blossoming relationship. The brunette turned to Cara and wrapped her arms around the blonde's neck with her arms, smiling happily at the Mord'Sith.

"You should go rest too," Cara suggested, automatically moving her hands to Kahlan's sides and kissing the brunette's lips softly.

"I'll just sleep in my favorite place then," Kahlan whispered coyly, moving one hand to caress Cara's chest meaningfully and looking at Cara seductively from behind her lashes. The Confessor bit her lip softly as she felt Cara take a sharp intake of breath when Kahlan let her hand trail over one of the blonde's breasts.

"I don't think we would have much rest if that happened," Cara said, looking from Kahlan's mischievous eyes to the brunette's hand over her breast and up again to the blue orbs. "Maybe you should go to your bedroll," the blonde said unenthusiastically, glancing at Richard's restless form rolling on his bedroll. Kahlan followed the blonde's line of sight and couldn't help but smile proudly at Cara's obvious attempt at making the situation less hurtful for Richard by not making the man witness their displays of affection when the hurt was still so fresh in him.

"You're a sweetheart, you know?" Kahlan said as she looked back at Cara and smiled as the blonde rolled her eyes to show her displeasure about the brunette's remark. "Don't bother, you're not fooling me," the Confessor said with a chuckle, pleased when she saw a hint of a smile appear on the corner of the blonde's lips. "But you're right, we should give him time to get used to see us together," she continued in a more serious tone.

"But that doesn't mean I'll restrain myself from now on," Cara warned with a tilt of her head. "Just for tonight, it won't kill me," the blonde said rather unconvincingly, making Kahlan smile and shake her head amusedly.

"I'll just lie down on your bedroll with Alys," Kahlan said, kissing Cara sweetly on the lips. "You can use min-" she smiled into Cara's kiss, which effectively prevented her from offering her bedroll to the amorous blonde. Cara seemed a lot more interested in devouring her mouth, tasting every inch of her lips and exploring fervently with her tongue. Kahlan shivered with want when the blonde's hands moved to her lower back and firmly brought her hips closer to Cara's thrusting ones. The Confessor followed the other woman's lead and pressed her breasts against Cara's full ones, making the blonde suck on Kahlan's lower lip eagerly.

"This is becoming increasingly frustrating," Cara whispered hotly, panting against the brunette's parted lips and watching the Confessor nod distractedly in agreement before failing again to resist the temptation and leaning in to capture Kahlan's wet lips once more in a needy kiss.

"I think I better go now," Kahlan said shakily after ending the kiss, taking a deep, composing breath to try to contain her rising libido. The Confessor planted one more kiss on Cara's lips and turned around to walk towards the bedroll currently occupied by Alys. After a few steps she turned her head and smiled at Cara while biting her lower lip softly, with a wink at the smirking blonde, Kahlan continued her way.

The Mord'Sith shook her head to disperse the lust filled thoughts currently occupying her mind and went to sit by the fire, in the same spot she had been with Kahlan before. The blonde focused her gaze on Kahlan as the Confessor slipped under the covers and smiled softly when she noticed Alys wake up and throw herself at Kahlan when she noticed that it was her mother next to her, snuggling contently to the older Confessor. Cara surveyed the rest of the camp and, after making sure everything was calm, busied herself with throwing in more wood onto the slowly dying fire. She glanced again at Kahlan and indulged herself in the thought that maybe, for once, she was going to be the one to have what she wanted.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Yep, I'm still alive :P If anyone still remembers this story here's the next chapter. I'm sorry for the delay. I'm doing my best to post as soon as I can :) Let me know what you thought, feedback is always very welcome and appreciated. **

**Chapter 13**

The sound of fighting could be heard echoing down the halls of the temple. Garren walked slowly and surely along one of the marble corridors, illuminated by various torches on the wall. The scream of agiels clacking against agiels and the grunts of pain coming from well placed blows made her grin in anticipation of what she was certain she would find. Garren rounded the corner into a wide room where a group of her sisters were gathered, watching two combatants in the center of their loose circle. The head Mord'Sith's grin got wider when she saw exactly who she expected to see encircled by their red clad sisters.

"Fierce little thing," a Mord'Sith next to Garren commented, as she noticed the other step up beside her to watch the two women spar intensely in the middle of the room.

"She's certainly one of ours," Garren stated with a nod of appreciation as the shorter of the two fighters barely even winced as her opponent's agiel burned into her shoulder, adding another injury to her bruised and battered form.

The two Mord'Sith currently at the center of attention were fighting relentlessly. The one holding Garren's attention, a brunette, was clearly in a weaken state; Garren knew perfectly that the brunette's split lip was the least of her injuries and the red leather was covering much more serious wounds that she, herself, inflicted on the brunette's body. The brunette's opponent attacks were merciless, the kind that only another Mord'Sith would have the endurance to withstand; a task that the brunette was more than accomplishing and she even found some strength to counterattack. Normally this would not cause so much awe among the Mord'Sith, but every woman in the temple was curious to see the new addition to their ranks in action. A lot of them were impressed at how the brunette kept struggling to stay in the fight, in spite of the beating she was taking after spending days hanging in the chains of a training room; it showed just how much willpower she had.

It was this trait, this strength of will, that caught Garren's attention. The young woman was stubborn and clearly didn't like to loose. Garren had seen it, from when the guards first hauled the girl into the temple, in the set of her jaw, the way her eyes had narrowed without fear as she glared back at her captors; Garren felt pride to see that trait in action in a much more useful fashion now, keeping the girl, the Mord'Sith, struggling back to her feet when a lesser creature would have succumbed long ago.

It had been worth the effort Garren had spent to re-break the girl. The guards had found her in the woods close to the temple days ago. Suspecting that she was spying on the temple, they had seized her and brought her to Garren. When she entered the temple, the brunette had tried to escape, so the guards had been forced to rend her unconscious.

By the time the stranger had woken up, hanging from the chains of one of the many training rooms, it had been obvious that she was no ordinary woman. They had stripped her of her black leathers, which seemed to be similar to their own uniforms, and had left her limp body only covered by two small strips of black leather. She had blood covering most of her face, dripping from her nose and her split eyebrow and lip that she gained from her clash with the guards. Exposed, the girl's body had clearly been a fighter's body; toned and with a few scars showing that she had been in close contact with sharp blades before. Her long hair, black and wavy, had clued Garren in to the fact that the girl was either an ally or a mortal enemy.

* * *

_"Welcome back," Garren said sarcastically, when she noticed the young woman was starting to regain consciousness. The brunette's good eye opened and she seemed to be struggling to open her swollen eye despite the groaned of pain she uttered; although, that was most likely due to the bruises and the strain the chains put on her arms. Her first instinct was to fight against the chains stretching her arms towards the ceiling. "Don't bother, you'll only hurt yourself," Garren advised with no concern for the girl's well being as she laughed at the confusion she could see in her prisoner's glare._

_"Release me," the dangling young woman demanded, meeting Garren's eyes defiantly. _

_"Not until you tell me who you are and what you were doing outside my temple," the head Mord'Sith replied calmly, her own blank expression giving nothing away as she studied the girl's face for any clues. This close inspection was all that allowed her to notice the brief look of surprise that passed through the girl's eyes, quickly replaced by a blank expression that rivaled Garren's own. Garren waited for a response, but the young woman just kept staring at her blankly; the silence started to unnerve Garren as it stretched on. _

_"Why don't you girls loosen our guest's tongue," Garren suggested, in a falsely syrupy sweet tone, to her sisters present in the room. Without needing further encouragement, three leather clad women advanced to the silent brunette and struck her with their agiels. _

_The young woman did not recoil from the touch of the agiels that pressed into her mercilessly. She kept her stare fixated on Garren's and gritted her teeth against the overwhelming pain being inflicted on her body. Her lack of fear, even more than her pain tolerance, impressed Garren, but after a few attacks, a scream echoed in the room and the girl instinctively kicked her attackers in the hopes of getting them to stop._

_"Enough already," the brunette hissed between her teeth, breathing hard and trying to regain her breath. "My name is Gwen. I'm Mord'Sith," she revealed proudly, meeting Garren's eyes like an equal, like a challenge, daring Garren to disbelieve the conviction in her gaze. Of course Garren would expect no less from a Confessor, and a Sister should know better than to glare as if their positions where equal. Still, Gwen was young and therefore unwise enough to allow pride and ambition to lure her into folly. _

_"If you are Mord'Sith where is your agiel?" Garren questioned suspiously, approaching Gwen while unsheathing her agiel. The brunette didn't gave her an answer and Garren let her agiel slide across Gwen's chest and lowered it to the brunette's stomach, watching the red and black marks mar the skin. She watched as Gwen gritted her teeth in an effort to keep herself from screaming, but the way every muscle shook and the beads of sweat forming on her forehead, blending with the blood and mating her dark hair to her to her face, displayed the pain the woman was not fully able to surpress. Nonetheless, Garren had to admit that she did take it like a Mord'Sith; after a while it seemed that she was absorbing the pain, feeding from it and throwing it back at Garren in the form of vicious looks. "Again, who are you and what where you doing outside my temple?" Garren asked, pressing the agiel a little more firmly against Gwen's side. _

_"I'm from a temple in the south," Gwen hissed through the pain. "My squad got attacked during a mission by a mob of villagers and I barely made it alive. They must have thought I was dead and left me in the field with the rest of my sister's bodies," she elaborated between raged breaths. _

_"Why would you think that making it alive would be better then to die fighting your enemies?" Garren inquired skeptically, pressing her agiel more firmly against the brunette's ribcage. _

_"They rendered me unconscious," Gwen groaned painfully. "I wasn't exactly in a condition to fight back. When I woke up I only had dead bodies for company and my agiels were missing," she justified, gasping when the pressure of the screaming weapon suddenly disappeared. _

_Garren turned away and whispered something to a nearby Mord'Sith; the woman nodded her head once and left the training room. Garren glanced again at the dangling figure in the center of the room and crossed her arms, waiting. After a few minutes, when steps were heard outside the room, Garren grabbed the handle by the wall and lowered Gwen to the floor brusquely, making the brunette crash on the grid beneath her. _

_Before Gwen could recover from the hard fall, a man covered in rich robes entered the room and without further ado threw a blast of fire at the slumped female. Instinctively, Gwen raised her hand and deflected the deadly wizard's fire coming towards her._

_"Was that all?" the man – a wizard – spat in Garren's direction, glancing disgustingly at the mess of blood and sweat he could see on her knees in the middle of the room. _

_"Yes, wizard," Garren replied, looking pensively at the woman kneeling on the floor. "You've been of great help," she finally lifted her gaze towards the wizard. "You can go now," she dismissed him with a vague movement of her hand and walked towards Gwen. _

_"Clean yourself," Garren ordered, watching the brunette lift her head to meet her eyes. Gwen nodded in understanding and her posture relaxed slightly, causing Garren to smirk coldly in response. "I'm not done with you yet," she revealed. _

* * *

Garren had liked Gwen's spirit and consequently she entertained the idea of keeping this young woman in the temple to serve Lord Rahl under her command; and she could use a challenge when it came to breaking, or in this case, re-breaking someone. saw this young Mord'Sith as a challenge had been a little surprised, when after the encounter with the wizard, Gwen had requested to stay in the temple and fight among her sisters there. It wasn't uncommon for Mord'Sith to exchange temples so Garren had promptly agreed, although in her own terms. Not forgetting that the girl's first instinct had been to fight them, Garren had decided that she had to make sure this brunette Mord'Sith's alliance truly lay with her. And the best way to ensure the woman's loyalty was by training her into true devotion. And since Gwen would need a weapon, given that she had claimed to not have her own when she had woken up after the attack on her quad, it was only fair that she would be re-broken by the same agiel she would yield, like every other Mord'Sith.

Garren had kept her suspending in chains, bending the young woman's dexterous tongue to form words of obedience. Gwen had surprised her when she requested to stay in the temple even before Garren had fully re-broken her; but not one to leave a job unfinished, Garren had ignored the brunette's request and kept with her plan. After countless agiel screams, Garren had re-broken the young woman; made her to follow her new Mistress and promise to serve her honorably in the future. Garren had been proud of her work; of the way she re-shaped this young woman into a warrior loyal to her. And, of course, the Lord Rahl.

After Garren had given the order to release the girl from the chains, where she had hung for two days straight, and given her free rein of the temple, she had been impressed by the confident attitude Gwen exuded and her mastery of the art of combate; which only proved that she was a very capable Mord'Sith, one of the best Garren had ever met at such a young age. Simply holding one's own against Mistress Lyla was no small feat, especially in Gwen's current condition.

Garren watched the fight between Gwen and Mistress Lyla for a few moments more and then gave the order for them to stop, beckoning Gwen to approach her.

"Not bad," Garren complimented the battered Mord'Sith with a curt nod. "But this is practice; I want to know how you are in the field," she informed and smirked as Gwen immediately perked up at the mere mention of a possible assignment. "We have a Confessor to hunt and I want you to be a part of the quad I'm going to take with me."

"I would be honored, Mistress," Gwen replied obediently, but unable to completely hide her excitement at the prospect.

"Go to the stables and let them know we will need four horses first thing in the morning," Garren commanded. "But take a bath first. The scent of blood will only rile the horses up and it's better to leave that for our mission."

"As you wish, Mistress," Gwen acquiesced and swaggered towards the door.

"I'll meet you there," a red haired Mord'Sith shouted to the retreating young woman. "To help you wash your back," she said insinuatingly, looking at Gwen's rear with an appreciative eye. Gwen only looked over her shoulder and smirked at the obvious proposition, making Garren chuckle and shake her head in amusement.

* * *

A rustling sound attracted Cara's attention to the bedrolls. She squinted, peering into the darkness away from the fire and noticed a small form getting out of the bedroll Kahlan and Alys were sharing. The small frame got out of the cozy cocoon and tip toed her way away from the still slumbering Mother Confessor in an exaggeratedly slow fashion, making Cara snort in amusement.

After looking over her shoulder to make sure Kahlan was still asleep, Alys hurried the rest of the way over to Cara. The little girl plopped down next to older woman, clasped her hands together in her lap, and turned to address the curious Mord'Sith.

"I've got to pee," Alys whispered simply, looking expectantly at a confused Cara.

"You've got to pee?" Cara repeated, looking blankly at Alys, not understanding why the child felt the need to share that information with her. "So do it."

"I'm not going to do it here," Alys protested, crossing her arms in annoyance and looking around their camp site. "What if Zedd or Richard wake up?" she questioned worriedly, a tint of pink coloring her cheeks as she looked behind her to make sure the men were still asleep.

"They're not going to wake up; it's the middle of the night," Cara quickly assured the embarrassed Confessor.

"I did," Alys retorted logically, making Cara roll her eyes and bite her lip to hide a smirk.

"You can't go alone into the woods," the Mord'Sith chastised, turning her body to face the child.

"I know," Alys said, tilting her head and arching her eyebrows as she looked at Cara disbelievingly. "That's why I came to you," she explained mockingly dragging the words out, unaffected by Cara's offended expression.

"Right," the older blonde exhaled the word in an irritated sigh and got up. "Wait just a second," she said and surprised herself by moving one hand to affectionately ruffle the little girl's hair. But since no one was looking she decided it was okay to smile back at the happy grin Alys shot at her as she made her way over to Zedd's blankets.

"Wake up, wizard; I need you to watch the camp for a little while," Cara said in a low voice, kicking Zedd's side to wake him up.

"You have no manners," the wizard grumbled, not bothering to sit up as he scowled up at the unperturbed Mord'Sith. "Is it my turn to keep watch?" he asked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"No; Alys just needs to go," Cara said dryly, crossing her arms over her chest, waiting for Zedd to become more alert.

"Go where?" the still half asleep wizard asked. Watching as Cara just raised an eyebrow, the fog finally disappeared from Zedd's mind and he understood. "Don't worry, I'll keep one eye on the camp," he assured, sitting up on his bedroll and yawning widely.

"Keep _both_ eyes on the camp," Cara stressed, not moving from her spot and glancing unintentionally at the peaceful form of Kahlan. Zedd smiled at the Mord'Sith's protective nature and nodded his head, looking more awake, which left Cara feeling more at ease.

Cara nodded in acknowledgment and walked back to Alys. As Alys stood, the older blonde rested her hand on the little girl's shoulder, guiding her gently out of the camp to where she didn't have to be worried about possible embarrassment.

* * *

Gwen walked through the open door of the stable, throwing a quick but expert eye around, rapidly cataloging her surroundings. Almost immediately, she spotted a tall and serious Mord'Sith checking the hooves of huge horse in the middle of the stable.

"You're the new one, right?" the burly Mord'Sith, Mistress Ceril, addressed her with a snarl that did nothing to intimidate Gwen. The brunette just nodded her head affirmatively and approached the other woman slowly.

"Mistress Garren sent me here to tell you that we will need four of your fastest black horses to take with us tomorrow at first light," Gwen informed the other woman nonchalantly, her eyes rooming around the stable in apparent disinterest, showing no sign she had noticed the less hidden examination to which she was being subjected.

"Hold his lead for a moment," Ceril grumbled, motioning Gwen to grab the horse's lead rope and turned to walk towards a small table next to the wall.

"I'm not a stable boy for you to order around," Gwen said warningly, her lips twitching in satisfaction when she noticed Ceril stop in her tracks and her shoulders tense.

"Excuse me?" Ceril turned around to look incredulously at her new Sister.

"You heard me," Gwen stated, slowly positioning herself beside the horse so the animal was at her back and Ceril in front of her. "Just so we are clear, I'm doing you a favor because I want to," she motioned to the lead in her hand. "I'm not following any orders from _you_," Gwen sneered.

"What makes you think _I_ would take orders from _you_?" Ceril shot back, aware that this girl had wormed herself in the rankings of the temple, managing to be one of Mistress Garren's favorites in such short time, but her own pride compelled her to talk back to Gwen.

"Simple," Gwen shrugged, noticing with pleasure as the animal shifted anxiously on his hooves. "I'm clearly better and a more capable Mord'Sith than you could ever dream to be," she mocked viciously. "You're the one who's limited to taking care of the animals after all," Gwen pointed out maliciously and internally patted herself on the back when she noticed the angry fire erupt in Mistress Ceril's eyes.

"I'll gladly show you how good I am," Ceril growled furiously, unsheathing her agiel to attack the arrogant Gwen.

Allowing Mistress Ceril to get close to her, Gwen patiently waited for the angry woman to make a move. When the predictive stab of Ceril's agiel was directed at her midsection, Gwen skillfully avoided the blow and instead the stab landed on the horse's side; making the already nervous horse bolt towards the open door. To avoid being dragged by the fleeing animal, Gwen let go of the lead and watched as the he ran out of the stable.

"You just proved that you're even worst than I though," Gwen commented, looking Ceril up and down with disdain. "You can't even take care of the horses," she shook her head disapprovingly.

"That was your faul-" Ceril's protest was cut of by a blow to her jaw that made her head whip to the side. She turned her head back, but her eyes never quite met Gwen's.

"I'll go get the horse," Gwen said after a few silent seconds, putting away her agiel in order to show Ceril that she didn't felt threatened by her. "No need to report this incident to Mistress Garren and bother her with your incompetence; just make sure you have four of your toughest horses ready, because I'm pretty sure Mistress Garren won't be as benevolent with you as I'm being," Gwen warned menacingly and turned to walk out to follow the horse's trail, not sparing a single glance back; which worked in her favor since that way Mistress Ceril couldn't see the wicked smirk on her lips.

* * *

Cara leaned against a tree; her relaxed stance a contrast with the way her eyes constantly scanned for danger as she waited for Alys. After a few moments the little girl emerged from behind some bushes. The Mord'Sith arched her eyebrows inquisitively and received a nod from the child, confirming that she was ready to get back to camp.

The blondes were slowly and carefully making their way back to camp, over the very uneven ground and through the darkness that made it impossible for them to rely completely on their vision. After a couple of steps Cara heard a small sigh. The Mord'Sith glanced down at Alys and noticed that the child was walking with her shoulders slightly slumped and her head lowered, blonde hair covering her face. Cara narrowed her eyes, but otherwise did nothing. After only a couple more steps the older blonde heard another sigh, this one a little louder and forced, making Cara look suspiciously to Alys, but the Mord'Sith still didn't say a word. A couple more steps and Cara saw Alys begin to take another deep breath.

"What's wrong Alys?" Cara asked softly, giving in to the child's obvious request for attention.

"Nothing," Alys replied tearfully, a watery sadness clearly audible in her voice.

Noticing the tears in the child's voice, Cara was taken aback. She was not used to this type of situation with children. The uncomfortable Mord'Sith looked quickly around as if expecting Kahlan to come from behind a tree and take care of the upset girl. But since the brunette was most likely asleep, the task of consoling the upset child would fall in Cara's awkward hands for now.

"If it's nothing, why are you crying?" Cara asked tentatively, watching as Alys crossed her arms protectively over her chest and shrugged her shoulders in response. The Mord'Sith took a deep breath and put her hand on the little blonde's shoulder, stopping their progress back to camp. Cara stepped in front of Alys, dropping to kneel on one knee to bring her eyes level with the child's, and placing both her gloved hands on the Confessor's crossed arms. "Alys, tell me what's wrong," Cara prompted tenderly, holding the child's teary gaze.

"I miss home," Alys whispered, taking in a shaky breath and awkwardly brushing her tears away with the back of her bandaged hand.

"We're going to get you back home," Cara reassured, keeping her hands awkwardly, but comfortingly, on the girl's arms. She was way out of her comfort zone here; her previous interaction with children didn't involve any form of comfort.

"I know you will," Alys sniffed and glanced pensively at the shapes of the trees above her, a gesture that strongly reminded Cara of Kahlan. "But I miss Aydindril," the child added, shrugging her shoulders helplessly.

"Listen," Cara started cautiously, with a voice that she considered to be kinder than she had ever sounded. "Your mother is here with you; how lucky were you to find her here?" Cara pointed out, hoping that the mention of Kahlan's presence would calm Alys. It seemed to work since the girl smiled slightly.

"I know, but it's not exactly the same," Alys whispered, her smile fading as she looked sadly to her hands, picking at the restricting bandages with frustration. "I mean, I know who you all are, but you're a little different," she explained vaguely, but somehow knowing Cara would get what she meant. "I guess I miss that," she shrugged her shoulders and lifted her head to look longingly at a patient, but not quite right, Cara. "I miss you," Alys confessed with a hiccupped sob and threw her arms around the Mord'Sith's neck in a tight, desperate hug.

Even thought Alys' sudden movement caught Cara by surprise, the older blonde's only reaction was to hug the shaking form of the little Confessor to herself. Cara didn't say anything, she just held the distressed girl close to her body in a silent attempt to comfort the child the best way she could. Alys's confession of missing a future Cara unexpectedly left a sinking feeling in the Mord'Sith's stomach; she hated to admit it, but the sound of the girl's sobs were breaking her heart and she let her head rest against Alys's to provide that little bit of extra comfort.

After Alys had calmed down a little, Cara expected the girl to move out of the embrace, but the blonde kept her head tucked on the crock of the Mord'Sith's neck and sniffed from time to time. Without giving it much thought, Cara stood, lifting Alys in her arms, being carful to shift the girl to her right hip in order to prevent any contact with her agiels. With Alys safely and comfortably in her arms, Cara carefully carried the blonde child back to their camp.

* * *

"Good boy," Gwen praised the horse while she looped his lead around a branch and tied a running knot. "Let me just get what I came for and we'll be on our way back," she whispered, flicking her eyes over the surrounding foliage as she searched for something. The young woman moved forward a few steps, wandering in a loose circle, her eyes glued to the ground. Her eyes lit and a grin spread in her face when she found what she was looking for.

She bent down, wincing at the leather rubbing painfully against some hidden cuts, and retrieved the items. Looking around wearily and satisfied that no one seemed to be watching her actions; Gwen got up and went back to the waiting horse.

"How I love a good hunt," she whispered with a smirk, while she regarded the items in her hand. Gwen mounted the horse and lead him back towards the stable with a sudden giddiness that made her clutch the new found items tightly her hand.

* * *

Zedd jump to his feet in alarm when he saw Cara walk into camp with what looked like an unconscious Alys in her arms. Before he could open his mouth to ask, Cara assured him that Alys was okay. The Mord'Sith walked effortlessly towards the fire area and sat down on a log, shifting Alys so she was curled on Cara's lap. The child snuggled to Cara's chest, not once loosening her grip on the blonde's neck or lifting her head from Cara's shoulder.

Zedd stood gaping at the scene in front of him. He regarded the tender way in which the normally cold Mord'Sith tended to Alys and how both blondes seemed to only use touch to convey comfort and return gratitude. Shaking himself, Zedd went to sit next to the pair and peered at the slightly puffy blue eyes, recognizing that Alys had most likely been crying. The Confessor spared him a small smile and moved one hand to play distractedly with a lock of blonde hair similar to her own. The wizard glanced at Cara expecting the grumpy Mord'Sith to scold the child, but Cara kept her eyes in the fire and didn't even acknowledge Alys's gesture.

"Are you okay, little one?" Zedd asked softly, noticing how Alys was progressively having more difficulty with keeping her eyes open. Alys just mumbled what sounded like a 'yes' and buried her head deeply into Cara's neck.

"Could you take a look at her hands?" Cara asked Zedd, feeling Alys constantly picking at the bandages behind her neck.

Zedd silently nodded and the Mord'Sith maneuvered Alys so the girl was resting against her front, with Cara's arms surrounding her securely. The wizard unfolded the crumpled bandages and noticed with surprise that the wounds were rapidly healing, as Alys had told them they would. Zedd applied some more of his healing magic to relieve the child from a possible lingering pain and redid the bandages leaving Alys's fingers completely free, covering only the girl's palms.

"Better?" Zedd winked, nodding at Alys's grateful smile and returning to his seated position on the log next to Cara.

"Are you warmer ready to get some more sleep now?" Cara whispered in the child's ear. Alys answer came in the form of a sleepy mumble. Cara stood up, never glancing at Zedd, and carried the slumbering child towards the bedroll occupied by Kahlan.

When Cara tried to prey Alys's arms from around her neck the girl grunted in protest, but the promise that Cara was laying her next to Kahlan was enough to stop Alys from fussing. The Mord'Sith was careful to place Alys next to Kahlan without waking the older Confessor and watched with a smile as the little blonde curled up to Kahlan and the brunette seemed to automatically drape one protective arm over the child's small body. Cara stood for a moment just observing the two sleeping figures, wondering what had exactly happened.

The protectiveness she felt towards Alys was not a normal feeling for her. Sure, she had a sense of protectiveness, she had been trained to protect after all. She felt protective towards her friends and especially towards Kahlan, but she didn't have a big connection with Alys. She had only met the child a few days ago. Maybe, Cara reasoned, it was because she was a child; more specifically Kahlan's child and she wanted to protect her because she knew that was what Kahlan wanted.

Cara frowned. She was sure all of that was true, but the way Alys's _'I miss you'_ tugged at her heart had nothing to do with any of those reasons. The child's statement, singling Cara out, and the emotion filling the little girl's blue eyes was enough to convince her that Alys cared more for her than she had initially thought. Being confronted with the love the child clearly felt for her left Cara feeling lost and confused; she knew nothing about the kind of relationship Alys had with her future self, but it had become evident that it was a strong one. Could her future self be okay with having a close relationship with a child that belonged to Kahlan and someone else? How exactly did she fit in all this? Were her and Kahlan even together in the future? Not wanting to start hypothesizing about the future, the Mord'Sith shook her head and walked back to the fire pit.

Once again, the wizard found himself just as companionless as he had been before Cara sat down, the Mord'Sith lost deep in her own thoughts. Clearly something had happened between the blondes and he was certain that it had been something good. It had left both of them drained, for Cara was showing signs of fatigue as well, but maybe Alys had managed to creep a little further into Cara's heart.

"Are you okay, my dear?" Zedd inquired softly, expecting Cara to snap at him just for inquiring about the reason for her pensive mood.

"I'm fine," the blonde said simply, in a raspy voice, making the surprised wizard quiet concerned about the calm response. "You can go back to sleep now," the blonde mentioned, busying herself with stoking the fire.

"I'm already up," Zedd shrugged. "Why don't you go ahead and have a few hours of sleep before the morning comes?" he suggested kindly, assuming that while the Mord'Sith would probably not share what was bothering her with him, at least he could help her get a little more, clearly much needed, rest.

Cara stared at the old man for a moment and recognized his attempt at making her feel better. Another day she would argue with him just for the sake of it, but, right now, she felt worn out and wanted nothing more than to have a few moments to rest. Cara nodded her thanks to Zedd, at which he responded with a kind smile and a friendly wave of his hand.

* * *

From behind the wide windows of her chambers, Kahlan surveyed the various torches dimly illuminating the city below her. The people of Aydindril, her people, were hurrying to prepare for the war that was most likely coming. In the clean glass, the Mother Confessor could see her own reflection superimposed over the city; an image, she thought bitterly, that was metaphorically appropriate. Now, more than ever, her sacrifices, her gamble with the line of confessors, not to mention a large portion of her heart, haunted her. The eyes looking back at her were holding back the tears that were always threatening to escape; especially here, in private, where she was alone and protected from the numerous eyes that judged her and demanded that she found a way to defeat the enemies that lurked everywhere.

Kahlan looked down at her firmly clasped hands through the tears already escaping her eyes; clenched tightly together in a vain attempt to restrain the emotions running around inside her at a high speed. She took this time to be alone just so that she could cry. A simple thing for most people, but a luxury she couldn't afford in public. That would only be mistaken for weakness, she was certain; her enemies would rejoice at seeing her in such a vulnerable state and the faith of her people in her would be shaken if they were to witness their ruler breakdown. Yet, keeping her collected exterior was so hard; it took everything she had and was leaving her exhausted. The grief was nearly overwhelming and she succumbed to the sobs shaking her body.

For a moment she indulged herself and closed her eyes, letting her mind block the world around her and taking shelter from the pain in her memories. She could hear laughter and running steps down the halls, she could smell the sweet and clean scent of rosemary soap while she watched her own hands braiding long locks of hair. Kahlan smiled through her tears, recalling the way her bed dipped as warm bodies tried to sneak into her bed, trying to be quite about it and failing miserably. She could taste a soft pair of lips that always made her feel loved and she could feel a pair of strong arms encircling her waist tenderly in a protective embrace.

The overwhelming feeling of longing for all the parts of her heart that were missing, made Kahlan open her eyes with a sob. In her reflection in the window, the few wrinkles that had started to appear around her eyes, were now more pronounced by her exhausted state and seemed to underline to burden of her pain. She wondered if she was even fooling anyone at all.

From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of red leather that made her heart skip a beat and her breath catch in her throat. But the voice coming from the woman that had entered her chambers was not the one she longed to hear.

"Mother Confessor," Raina bowed her head in respect, but not before noticing the way the Confessor automatically started to turn to greet her but stopped, clearly disappointed. "Everyone is gathered as you requested. I'm here to escort you," Raina announced, watching as the Mother Confessor took a few seconds to collect herself. Shoulders again square, Kahlan turned, giving Raina an almost undetected look of gratitude; one the Mord'Sith was only able to spot thanks to the amount of time she spent with the ruler of the Midlands. They left the Mother Confessor's chambers together, Raina a half step behind, as was proper.

Now more than ever, Kahlan needed to be strong and lead her people. Even if she was scared and desperate inside, she had to pull herself together and show that she was capable of ruling wisely. The leadership of Aydindril belonged to her by right and she wouldn't let anything or anyone stop her from defending the people she swore to protect. Her heart may be shattered at the moment, but it was still there and it still had strength to fight for what she believed in.

Kahlan held her head high and walked confidently; the Mother Confessor's white dress caught the air and flowed around her as she walked through the twists of the seemingly never ending corridors of her castle in Aydindril's heart. Her hands were now clasped loosely in front of her and her face was molded in a mask of stoicism. Her dignified posture and air of confidence was enough to strike respect in the hearts of her subjects; respect that she earned everyday of the past eighteen years she had ruled in Aydindril.

* * *

The sun had just risen and had not yet had time to warm the chill night had left in the air. This dawn found four black horses carefully saddled waiting patiently as their mistresses made sure the saddle bags with their provisions were firmly tightened. After checking that everything was ready to go, three women with stone cold expressions turned to another wearing an anticipatory smirk.

"We're leaving now," Garren announced as the last sister nodded that she was ready. "Let's hunt a little Confessor," she added with a menacing chuckle.

"Yes, Mistress Garren," the other three Mord'Sith replied simultaneously, their eyes flashing with the anticipation of a fight.

"Make me proud," Garren said to the dark haired Mord'Sith standing in the middle. "I want to see the fierceness you showed in the temple with your sisters applied on the battle field."

"I will, Mistress," Gwen answered with a subservient bow of her head.

"Let's ride," Garren ordered as she mounted. The other three warriors quickly followed, swinging effortlessly into their saddles.

The quad of Mord'Sith took off at high speed, leaving the temple behind and starting their target's pursuit.

* * *

Kahlan woke up and was momentarily confused by the feeling of a small warm body snuggled tight against her own. She looked down to see only the top of Alys's head peaking out of the blanket, certainly the girl's method to keep herself warm during the night. Kahlan's eyes were attracted to another mass of similar blonde hair, whose owner was still asleep on her side, facing Kahlan. The Confessor was about to extend her arm to brush a few stray hairs out of Cara's face when a sound alerted her for the presence of someone behind her.

"Good morning," she said with a kind smile after rolling on her back to face Richard, who was kneeling next to her rummaging through his pack.

"Morning," the Seeker greeted simply. He returned Kahlan's smile, although his was less enthusiastic.

"Is it morning already?" a very sleepy and slightly annoyed voice whined from beneath the blanket, making both Kahlan and Richard chuckle.

"I'm afraid so, Alys," Richard replied to the displeased lump.

"Hi," the little girl greeted Richard with a sleepy smile, finally lifting her head. She squinted as she fought with the morning light to look at the Seeker. "Are you happier today?" the girl asked with concern, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"Yes," Richard answered after a slight pause as he hesitated, deciding, at last, to neither alarm nor worry the child with unnecessary things he didn't needed to burden the child with.

"You're-" Alys started, but stopped herself before saying anything else. "Okay," she said instead, offering a sweet smile to the Seeker.

"Is something wrong, sweetie?" Kahlan asked gently, elevating herself on her elbows. She easily noticed the girl's sudden change in speech and looked up at Richard to see that he was frowning in curiosity too.

"No," the child denied, turning to look up at Kahlan. "It's just that you taught me that we shouldn't always tell people that we know they are lying because sometimes they want to keep some things to themselves," she obediently repeated the words Kahlan had once told her.

"Your mother has taught you well," Richard said with an approving smile. "Not that anything else was to be expected," he complimented, receiving a grateful smile from the older Confessor. He met Kahlan's gaze for a moment, but quickly averted his gaze to look at his approaching grandfather.

"Good morning, my dears," Zedd greeted in a soft voice so as not to awake the still slumbering Mord'Sith. "She must be really exhausted," he said, pointing to Cara with an apple he had in his hand. "I'm glad I managed to convince her to get some sleep last night," the wizard said, taking a healthy bite out of the apple.

"Let her get some more sleep; it's still early," Richard shrugged, retrieving a bar of soap and a cloth from his pack. "We'll go freshen up now that you're awake," he told Kahlan and walked away from the camp after a nod of acknowledgment from the brunette.

The Confessor smiled at Zedd as the wizard bent down to ruffle Alys's hair, making the girl giggle, before turning and following his grandson to the nearby stream. Kahlan looked after the retreating men for a moment before glancing away to see that Alys, who was still tucked under the warm blanket, was now wearing a much more alert and mischievous expression on her face.

"And what are you up to, young lady?" Kahlan asked playfully, turning on her side to face both blondes again.

"Shss," Alys shushed her, placing one finger on her own lips and another on Kahlan's lips. "You have to be very quite or else you'll ruin it, mommy," the little girl admonished with an excited smile and stretched one arm towards the nearest plant poking out from the edge of the bedroll. She then proceeded to pluck out a long leafed grass stem and grinned at Kahlan before rolling onto her stomach and eyeing Cara with an expression of utmost concentration.

Kahlan raised herself in one elbow to have a better look at the certain hilarious scene that was about to unfold. She watched with an amused smile as her daughter very carefully pushed the stem towards Cara's face and held her breath when the harmless green weapon made the first contact with Cara's nose. The brunette used her hand to cover her mouth and hold in a laugh that was threatening to escape as she watched Cara's nose twitch slightly. Alys hurriedly pulled the leaf away and muffle her bubbly giggles with her hand, in practically a mirror image of her mother.

"I bet she thinks it's a bug and she's going to slap her face to get rid of it," the girl excitedly told Kahlan as she turned her head to look at her mother, gleeful in her intent to fooling the sleeping Cara.

"Do you think you can trick her into that?" Kahlan asked the girl, grinning as Alys nodded rapidly in utter confidence of her skills. Before the child turned around to poke Cara again, Kahlan looked over to see the Mord'Sith smirking up at her with one eye open, which she promptly shut once Alys turned back towards her.

Kahlan raised her eyebrows in anticipation and let the girl try once again to achieve her goal of tricking Cara. When the leaf was an inch away from touching Cara's skin, the Mord'Sith sat up in a flash. Alys shrieked in surprise as she was swept from beneath the blanket and swiftly dragged into Cara's lap.

Kahlan watched in delight as the older blonde tickled the girl mercilessly while the girl laughed uncontrollably, kicking and trashing to try to escape her attacker.

"That's what you get for trying to trick me," Cara said with a rare laugh, grinning down at the squirming child in her lap as the girl twisted to try and avoid Cara's fingers.

"Mommy," Alys called breathlessly. "Mommy, help me," the girl pleaded between laughs.

"If your mother tries to help you she's going to get the same treatment," Cara mock-threatened, looking defiantly at Kahlan.

"I'm not afraid of you," Kahlan said with playful determination, sitting up and meeting Cara's eyes challengingly. "I have to save my baby girl," she declared with abandon, indulging in this very rare carefree moment.

Taking advantage of the closeness of Cara's feet, Kahlan ran the tips of her fingers up the sole of Cara's foot. The Confessor watched in satisfaction as the Mord'Sith quickly retracted her legs and stopped her ticklish torture of the little girl. Kahlan had learned a while back that Cara's feet were a sensitive spot when the Confessor had accidentally brushed her foot against Cara's while sharing a bed. The blonde was not very ticklish, but for some reason she reflexively recoiled when something came in contact with her feet.

Taking advantage of Cara's distraction, Alys rapidly scurried out of the Mord'Sith's lap and jumped across into Kahlan's open arms.

"That was low, Mother Confessor," the older blonde accused, narrowing her eyes dangerously at Kahlan.

"All is fair in love and war, Mistress Cara," the brunette shot back immediately, holding Alys in front of her as a shield.

"I'll get you for that, you can be sure of it," Cara menacingly promised Kahlan, grinning wickedly. "And you learned your lesson, didn't you?" she said, looking at the still giggling girl on Kahlan's lap.

"Maybe," Alys said noncommittally, laughing when Cara tilted her head and looked at her with eyebrows raised in surprise. But before the Mord'Sith could fire her own comeback, the young Confessor quickly stood up and skipped towards the fire area where Zedd had left a few apples on a rock.

Kahlan shook her head with a smile as she watched the girl escape from any possible retaliation Cara had to offer. The Confessor then turned her head to gaze at the Mord'Sith beside her, noticing the unusual relaxed features of the blonde's face. This carefree side of Cara surfaced rarely and the brunette felt her own spirits lift just from witnessing it. Kahlan's smile widened when the blonde turned her head to look at her.

"Hi," Kahlan shyly whispered, tilting her head to look lovingly at Cara.

"Hi back," the Mord'Sith replied with a smile, gazing back at the beautiful brunette, her eyes intense. Cara cupped Kahlan's cheek and gently pulled the Confessor towards her to press her lips to Kahlan's for a few delicious seconds before pulling apart. She noticed by the corner of her eye Alys glancing at them and then turn her attention back to the fruit on her hands, seemingly unperturbed.

"That was a side of you I don't get to see often," Kahlan mentioned while scooting across the very small space between them to sit next to Cara.

"That's because we're not away from prying eyes often," Cara pointed out logically.

"I'll make sure to change that then," the brunette promised, lifting a hand to comb her fingers through Cara's blonde locks. "I want to hear you laugh more frequently," she added softly, placing a sweet kiss on the corner of Cara's mouth and feeling the blonde's lips widen into a bigger smile. Before Kahlan could pull completely away, a strong arm wrapped around her waist to pull her close to the blonde. A second after, the brunette felt Cara's luscious lips kissing her own passionately.

When Kahlan heard a moan escape the blonde's lips she pushed Cara away by the shoulders and glanced at the child a few feet away from them. Biting her lips, she shook her head, wordlessly telling Cara that they shouldn't get carried away when Alys was so close. The Mord'Sith followed Kahlan's line of sight and sighed petulantly.

"She's really comfortable around you," Kahlan said pensively while looking at the child. "It makes me wonder," she said vaguely, watching as the girl happily munched on her apple and played with some small rocks.

"Makes you wonder what?" Cara asked curiously, looking back at Kahlan.

"Did it ever cross your mind that maybe we are raising her together, in the future?" The brunette turned her head to look at Cara with a wishful note in her tone. But Kahlan's dreamy look lasted only until the she saw a frightened expression form itself on Cara's face.

"Didn't you tell me to not speculate about the future?" Cara said apprehensively, her eyes shifting uncomfortably around the camp without meeting Kahlan's. The Confessor's sudden question and, especially, the implications of that question startled the Mord'Sith. Not that Cara didn't envisioned a future with Kahlan or that she hated children, but the only family of which the blonde had a clear memory were her Mord'Sith sisters. She doubted that they were the best example. With only vague memories about her parents and sister, Cara had no idea how families worked; how could she make a good parent? The only chance she might have had to discover it was taken away from her at his birth. The blonde was so lost in her self-loathing thoughts that she almost missed what Kahlan was saying to her.

"I did tell you that," the Confessor confirmed, her voice trembling slightly as her heart sunk at seeing Cara's disturbed expression. "I was just wondering," Kahlan sighed, reading Cara's distressed look as a clear distaste for, merely, the hypothetical idea of the both of them raising a child together. "Forget I mentioned it," she shrugged her shoulders dejectedly, her lips turning downwards into a slight frown as she stood up go towards Alys. She only took a couple of steps when she felt Cara rise and a hand close around her wrist to stop her.

"Maybe you're right," Cara whispered reassuringly in Kahlan's ear as she slide one arm around the Confessor's stomach to bring Kahlan's back comfortingly against the blonde's front. "She saw us kiss and didn't even react," Cara revealed, planting a lingering kiss under Kahlan's earlobe. "And she does come up with some snarky remarks that I don't think she learned from you," she added, hoping that Kahlan would understand that the idea of raising a child together was not horrifying to Cara, it just was a little to soon to be having a conversation like this.

"It's no good to be speculating about the future, you're right," Kahlan agreed as she turned around in Cara's arms to face the blonde. "I let my imagination get carried away I guess, it's just," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "It's just that… I love you," Kahlan said simply. Her honesty was rewarded by a pair of gloved hands cupping her face and soft lips capturing her own in an emotion filled kiss. The Confessor let her hand fall to Cara's side and returned the kiss with as much devotion as she could muster.

"I plan to stay with you for a very long time, Kahlan," Cara said intensely when she broke their kiss, her eyes boring into blue ones as she conveyed with them all the love she felt for Kahlan. "You'll look good when you're older and since I like pretty girls I guess I'll stick with you," the Mord'Sith teased, effectively dispersing the heaviness of the conversation.

"How chivalrous of you," Kahlan said sarcastically, scoffing as she pinching the blonde's abdomen in mock punishment. A thought occurred to her. "And how would you know how I'll look when I get older?" the Confessor asked, tilting her head curiously.

"Because I saw you," Cara stated matter-of-factly, rolling her eyes at Kahlan's confused look. "When Richard and I went to that awful future, we saw a statue of you on your grave."

"You were lost, with no hope, in a future where everyone was confessed and there were no Mord'Sith alive, and you were checking out a dead woman?" Kahlan asked disbelievingly, her eyebrows rising in astonishment.

"When you put it like that, it doesn't sound so good," Cara said, tilting her head in consideration of Kahlan's words. "But still, you were alluring; I was just curious," the blonde revealed and then rolled her eyes again as Kahlan's look wordlessly asked her to elaborate. "You had this air of dignity and royalty about you. I thought it was the statue that was made to look like that, but then I met you," Cara finished somewhat sheepishly, teeth worrying her bottom lip although her eyes never left Kahlan's.

Kahlan grinned widely when she heard Cara's confession. It grew, widening further when she noticed that the blonde was blushing slightly. If she was interpreting Cara's words and body language correctly, and this time she was sure she was, the Mord'Sith had clearly been attracted to her from the first moment they laid eyes on each other; before that, even.

"You can deny it all you want, but sometimes you're just cute beyond words," Kahlan whispered sweetly and kissed the blonde's red cheek tenderly. To her pleasant surprise the blonde woman just sighed in defeat and shook her head at her. "Let's join the little wolf before all the apples disappear," Kahlan added with a chuckle, as she noticed Alys pick up another apple and bite into it enthusiastically. Cara nodded, happy with a change of subject, and both women went to have breakfast with the young Confessor.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Thank you for the reviews, they're always appreciated :) Here's the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it ;)**

Chapter 14

"At the pace we're going we'll probably reach the Midlands in two days," a blonde Mord'Sith informed her leader after coming down from the small hill where she went to survey the land still ahead of them.

"Good, we'll make camp here for the night and tomorrow we'll continue," Garren nodded while scrutinizing her surroundings. "We have to catch up to them as soon as possible," She dismounted her horse, followed quickly by her Sisters.

"Who are _they_, exactly?" Gwen asked curiously, approaching Garren from behind with the reigns of her own horse firmly held in her closed fist.

"It appears that one of the brat's travelling companions is none other than the Mother Confessor," Garren informed Gwen over her shoulder, but frowned, doing a double take, when she saw the brunette's eyes go wide. "Afraid of the Mother Confessor, are you?" Garren taunted, taking pleasure at seeing Gwen swallow uncomfortably.

"I'm not afraid," Gwen said a little too quickly. "I just wasn't expecting her to be with the child." Her fist trembled slightly due to the force with which she was griping the reigns.

"Granted it'll make things a little harder," Garren admitted, turning to fully face Gwen. "But it'll also make them more interesting," she smirked. "You're not thinking about running away, are you?" the leader of the squad taunted, her eyes narrowing as she focused on Gwen's unsteady hand.

Gwen snorted. "No more than you are." Her lips twitched as a secret smile touched their corners briefly before it twisted further upwards into a malicious smirk. "I'm pretty sure I can deal with the Mother Confessor."

"You don't lack confidence," Garren chuckled. "But don't let your arrogance and pride cloud your vision," she warned wisely, turning to rummage through the saddle bag of her horse.

"I guess that's a tendency Mord'Sith have, right?"

Garren stopped her search through the saddle bag and turned back around to look closely at Gwen. Her eyes narrowed at the young Mord'Sith, but when Gwen smirked almost proudly Garren figured that the young woman, although very capable, still had a lot to learn about not underestimating the enemy.

"The stupid ones, yes," Garren reprimanded. "Now go help your Sisters set up camp," Garren ordered, watching Gwen nod her head curtly and lead her horse over to the other animals.

"This just keeps getting better and better," Gwen whispered to herself, a wicked grin on her lips.

* * *

"Richard dropped his flint and steel into the tinder of what was going to be their campfire, his hand automatically gripping the hilt of his sword as his head whipped around. Alys gave another shriek of delight and flung herself at Kahlan, hands outstretched to show the Confessor her completely healed palms. Zedd laughed as Alys nearly bowled Kahlan over by leaping into her arms when the Confessor kneeled down to examine her daughter's hands. The wizard tossed the used bottom layer of used bandages into Richard's fire pile and rolled up the rest. Smiling, Richard fished for his flint in the dry bark and began restacking the twigs. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Cara, standing quietly behind Kahlan, watching Kahlan kiss Alys palms with what looked like relief. The Mord'Sith looked completely intent upon the domestic scene yet Richard could tell a part of her mind was somewhere else, perhaps asking herself the same questions he had about her future, her role in the life of Kahlan's daughter."

The Seeker smirked as the Mord'Sith was jolted out of her reverie when Alys slipped out of Kahlan's arms and held up her palms for Cara to inspect. To Richard's surprise, the stoic Mord'Sith gently took hold of the child's hands to examine them and said something to Alys that made the blonde Confessor beam up at her. Alys hugged Cara around the waist, saying something that made the Mord'Sith chuckle and bend down slightly to place a quick peck on the top of the girl's head.

Richard frowned in surprise at this unexpected interaction between the blondes and pursed his lips worriedly. His thoughts kept going in a direction he didn't want them to, but his Seeker nature compelled him to puzzle pieces together. He stared at the still rocks in his hands, thinking about what he knew about Alys and the way the little girl interacted with them; especially Cara. Abstractly he heard Kahlan calling Alys to go with her take a bath, while Cara mumbled something about going hunting.

"You seem lost in thought, my boy?" Zedd said as he took a seat on a rock next to his grandson and started to assemble the utensils he would need to prepare dinner. "Anything I can help you with?" he asked helpfully.

"Actually, I think you can," Richard nodded. "Don't you find Alys' ability to heal so quickly strange?" he asked carefully.

"Not to mention her ability to deflect magic," Zedd readily completed his grandson's train of thought. "Hmmm," he agreed noncommittally, patiently observing his grandson fumbling fruitlessly with the flint while his forehead creased in deep thought, clearly the reflections of his inner struggle.

"Could it be possible that-" Richard trailed off. The theory forming on his mind was one that made his already wounded heart constrict even more with pain, but his Seeker nature kept pushing him to try and figure out something to explain Alys' unusual powers. He took a deep breath before continuing. "Could it be possible that she has Mord'Sith magic in her?" he glanced at Zedd almost afraid to hear the answer.

"In all my years of life, I have come to find that the things one thinks are impossible turn out to be very possible," Zedd mused, his eyes glazed over in deep thought. He continued to speak slowly, choosing his words with care. "I have never heard of it, but I wouldn't be as presumptuous as to claim that it is impossible." He paused, lacing his fingers together, and raised eyebrow at Richard. "But that's not exactly the question that's plaguing you, is it my boy?" he asked kindly, only to have Richard confirm his suspicion a moment later as the boy pursed his lips and looked away.

"Is it possible?" Richard exhaled and looked back at his grandfather. "Even with magic, is it possible for two women to have a child? It can't be, can it?"

"For a spell to allow two women to conceive a child, it would need to be cast by someone with an incredible powerful Han; not to mention the spell itself would have to be very complex. I have never heard of such a spell." Zedd noticed Richard opening his mouth to probably come up with another theory and quickly interrupted him. "Which doesn't mean it doesn't exist," he added gently, causing Richard to nod in understanding.

"I was hoping you could clarify that," Richard said in a small voice, his shoulders slumping as he stared sightlessly into the campfire pit. He blinked as his grandfather's long fingered hand, warm and reassuring, settled onto his shoulder drawing him back into the world. Reaching up with his own hand, he patted Zedd's thankfully. "I'll go see if I can find that root you claim makes your stew a food worth of the Creator herself," Richard smiled and got up to head into the forest.

"Don't mock my food, boy," Zedd scolded after him. "Go get that root and you'll see if doesn't make all the difference." He watched his grandson kick a small rock halfheartedly and worried about the disheartened stoop of the boy's shoulders. With a sigh, Zedd turned back around to light the mess Richard had made of the fire with a wave of his hand.

* * *

"Zedd, did you find anything new?" Kahlan asked hurriedly as she entered the library of the Wizard's Keep, startling Zedd who was hard at work looking through a sea of books.

"I'm afraid not, my dear," the old wizard sighed sadly while shaking his head. He was one of the oldest wizards alive and probably the wisest too; if anyone could find the answers they needed, it would be Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander, Wizard of the First Order. "How are the troops coming along?" he questioned, dividing his attention between the texts and the rightfully worried Confessor.

"They are receiving orders as we speak," Kahlan answered, pacing anxiously back and forth in front of Zedd's desk. "This war is so uncalled for," she huffed in frustration.

"All wars are uncalled for," Zedd said with a humorless chuckle, looking away from his books at last and focusing solely on Kahlan. "The ignorant and those that thirst for power are often significant catalysts for a war to start," he mused. "And you have the perfect combination of that with the Blood of the Fold and that manipulative and delusional wizard, Farkas."

Kahlan nodded in agreement.

"Mother Confessor!" Berdine exclaimed in surprise as she rounded a corner into the reading area; her arms stacked with books. "Is there anything you need?" she asked attentively.

"I need my family back," Kahlan exhaled brokenly, trusting that her present company would not judge her for this distraught outburst.

"We're searching these books meticulously, Mother Confessor," Berdine immediately reassured, as Kahlan expected her to. "If there's even the slightest clue about what will allow us to resolve the problem in any of these texts, you can be sure we'll find it," she promised with fervor, suiting her actions to her words by placing the books she was carrying on the desk and immediately picking one to read over.

"I know," Kahlan smiled gratefully at the loyal Mord'Sith. Her eyes slid over to the wall in thought and the lines of her face grew harsh. "Farkas will be judged by the Midlands' law for what he's trying to do to my people and especially for what he's doing to my family," the brunette vowed angrily to no one in particular.

"For that to happen, we have to find him first," Zedd once again lifted his eyes from the books and regarded the upset Confessor. "I already tried tracking his energy through time, but it led me nowhere. The Triangle of Anuyr is the only artifact that allows time travel and since Farkas has it, and he's not in our time, we have no way to find him. Nor may we travel in time ourselves to look for him ourselves," the wizard expounded. "If he does return to our time, however, we'll know; with the help of the other wizards, I casted a spell that encloses all of the Midlands, so if Farkas returns here I'll be immediately warned," Zedd reassured Kahlan, who nodded in understanding.

"I never thought I would see the Midlands at war with ourselves," Kahlan shook her head in disbelief. "The beliefs of the Blood of the Fold managed to affect more people than I thought. Now that we are at peace with D'Hara, we fight amongst ourselves; can't people live in peace?" she wondered aloud, walking towards the big desk and leaning tiredly on it with her hands.

"Some can, my dear. But others feed from war, greed, and hatred. And, unfortunately, such people exist in the Midlands too." Zedd reached out and patted her hand. "I trust you'll have the strength to fight them, Kahlan. And you do have help from D'Hara."

"The problem is that by the time the D'Haran army gets here we might already have been defeated," Kahlan said somberly. Her eyes met Zedd's in a silent acknowledgement of the truth.

"Mother Confessor, Lord Rahl is arriving at the gates," Raina announced as she entered the library. There was a new glimmer in her eyes, usually so playful and recently so bleak. They grew even brighter as she watched as the Confessor allow herself a small, relieved smile. "He arrived with only an escort of soldiers and Mord'Sith in order to get here faster for the initial negotiations, but I have information that the D'Haran army is only three days away from arriving here."

"Have faith," Zedd smiled kindly at Kahlan. "Maybe Richard's threatening presence will be enough to persuade them to refrain from attacking."

Kahlan sighed bitterly. "We are dealing with fools; they'll stop at nothing to get what they want," she nodded her goodbye to Zedd and Berdine and walked out of the library. As Kahlan paused at the door and took a deep, calming breath, Raina winked at Berdine, falling in step behind the Mother Confessor.

* * *

"And then she must have carried me and tucked me back in the bedroll with you," Alys finished retelling what had happed in the middle of the night to Kahlan, who was listening avidly, while the brunette washed the girl's blonde hair in the stream close to camp. They had been on the road all day and the opportunity to wash away the dust was very welcome.

The brunette had been mesmerized by the morning's playful interaction between her daughter and Cara. She was surprised, not so much because of Alys since the girl never showed any type of fear or reluctance when it came to addressing, or even touching, Cara. But she was surprised by Cara's carefree behavior with the child. The Mord'Sith was not someone prone to those kinds of exchanges and Kahlan had had to know what was leading Cara to become more affectionate with Alys.

Kahlan had asked the Mord'Sith about her new found closeness with the girl and Cara had just shrugged dismissively and mumbled something about 'the kid not being so bad to deal with'. This simple answer was enough for Kahlan, especially since the Mord'Sith was not famous for including much in the way of details, but it was still frustratingly vague. Yet, when she mentioned the same thing to Alys, she got a whole story as an answer. Her daughter excitedly launched into the, apparently epic, retelling of how Cara had 'made her stop hurting'.

"Why didn't you wake me sweetie?" Kahlan tilted her head curiously, wishing that she could have done something to console the girl the night before. Although, from what Alys had told her, Cara had done a perfect job at it.

"Because you were asleep," Alys deadpanned, making Kahlan roll her eyes good naturedly at the child's logic.

"Okay smart pants." The brunette got out of the stream and lifted her daughter out of the water, reaching for the cloth to dry the small blonde. "You're all clean now; let's get back to camp and see what Cara caught for dinner." Kahlan handed Alys the child's dress and grabbed her own clothes to put back on. The older Confessor took Alys's hand and guided the child back to camp, smiling deviously at the prospect of teasing Cara with her new found information about what had happened the night before.

* * *

"Where's Richard?" Kahlan asked as she looked around the camp. Noticing that Zedd was sorting through some spices, Alys let go of her mother's hand and rushed towards the wizard to carefully watch what he was doing.

"He went to look for ginger roots to add to the stew," Zedd glanced over his shoulder to address the Confessor. "It makes all the difference," he turned back towards the pot and winked at Alys, making the girl giggle.

"It makes it edible, then?" Cara quipped from behind Kahlan, coming out of the woods with two skinned rabbits in her hand.

"When you learn how to cook you can criticize my food," Zedd chastised over his shoulder.

Cara approached the wizard and extended the rabbits to him. When he was about to grab them, the Mord'Sith held them above his head, preventing the annoyed wizard from getting the animals.

"When you learn how to hunt you can criticize me," Cara cocked one eyebrow and smirked tauntingly down at Zedd. Satisfied that the wizard only glared at her without any reply, Cara lowered the rabbits to Zedd's waiting hands. Alys snickered at the exchange and claimed her place next to Zedd as his self-proclaimed assistant.

Kahlan stood, smiling, with her hands on her hips, and shook her head at Cara. The Mord'Sith looked back at her with a smirk and put down her bow and arrows. The blonde made her way towards an amused Kahlan and took the cloth and soap from the brunette's hands.

"I'll take that with me," Cara winked and tilted her head suggestively in the direction of the stream. Before walking away, the blonde stole a quick kiss from Kahlan's lips, making the Confessor blush slightly, but grin widely nonetheless. She was watching Cara walk away with a distracting swagger in her step when Zedd's voice intruded on her leering.

"Kahlan, could you help me with these rabbits?" the wizard asked as he used a knife to dismember the dead animals.

Hearing Zedd's request had Cara stop dead in her tracks and turn around with a frustrated scowl, clearly ready to tell Zedd exactly what he could do with the rabbits. Before she could speak, however, Kahlan gestured for her to be quite even before she could open her mouth.

"Of course Zedd," Kahlan replied, trying not to laugh at Cara's deep intake of breath and sudden rapid blinking. "Go," she mouthed at the annoyed Mord'Sith, chuckling when Cara huffed and stomped off.

* * *

"Richard," Kahlan greeted with affection when she entered the wide room where Richard was having his dinner while he waited for her. The formal greetings had been shared in the throne room earlier when Richard – Lord Rahl - had first arrived in Aydindril, but now they could talk more freely.

"How are you Kahlan?" Richard asked with concern, opening his arms to engulf Kahlan in a friendly and comforting hug.

Kahlan sunk in his welcoming arms without hesitation. It was great to have the ruler of a land like D'Hara come, personally, to aid Aydindril in a fight, but right now she was more thankful to have one of her most cherished friends with her when she was feeling most lost. The feel of his comforting arms around her transported Kahlan for a time when she would have been afraid of this kind of physical contact, but Richard had showed her many years ago that it was okay for her to touch people without the fear of destroying them with her enslaving touch. Kahlan pulled away from the hug and looked into warm brown eyes; the same ones that had reassured her time and again in the past were now reassuring her yet again in this time of need. She cupped his stub covered cheek in a friendly gesture, noticing that his once boyish expression now gave way to a more reserved one; an expression of a respected leader that she admired.

"I'm worried, sad, and angry," Kahlan responded, pulling away from the hug. "But even though my heart is taxed with my emotions, my head is fighting to stay clear and find a solution for all of this." Even if the situation was killing her, she had no intention of giving up, but would fight both carefully and wisely.

"Farkas wants my throne," Kahlan continued. "He and his followers claim that the time for Confessors has come to an end," she paused. "They hide behind the excuse that they don't want a 'freak' ruling in Aydindril," Kahlan elaborated, gritting her teeth in rage.

"They can't state something like that; she _is_ a Confessor," Richard reasoned, his fist clenching at his side even as his tone remained comforting.

"A Confessor with some extra skills that never belonged to Confessors before," Kahlan pointed out with a tired sigh. She had already discussed this with Richard through the journey book he insisted she kept in Aydindril to be in contact with him. Kahlan recognized Richard's attempt to try to resolve this conflict without having to resort to a war; unfortunately her enemies refused to see the truth, instead they twisted that same truth for their own selfish benefits.

"Why not attack you directly?" Richard inquired about the lack of attempts against Kahlan's life.

"Though their followers are devout, and truly believe in what they preach, they are still a minority, albeit not by much. I'm too powerful and too well protected here in Aydindril for them to confront directly, even hiding behind their army, they do not have a great chance of success; the best way for them to take my throne," she said. "Is to making sure I never get here in the first place."

"So Farkas travelled back in time to make sure you didn't get to Aydindril and claimed you rightful place as ruler?" Richard summarized.

"At least that's the most logical theory we could come up with, based on the information we have gotten so far," Kahlan nodded.

"But then why take-"

"To mess with me Richard," Kahlan responded before Richard had the time to finish. "Because if there's anything that can throw me off my game and distract me, it is having my family endangered or," she stopped herself from finishing, feeling tears immediately cloud her vision and grief choke her breath.

"We are meeting with the council together tomorrow. With their approval I'll require an audience with a representative of the Blood of the Fold," Richard recalled their plans, placing a reassuring hand on Kahlan's slumped shoulder. "Let me try to reason with them." At this Kahlan shot him a dubious look. "And if that doesn't work," Richard continued. "Maybe the approaching D'Haran army will do the trick," he winked and just like that Kahlan could see the ever optimistic boy she met so many years ago.

"Thank you for your help," Kahlan said smiling. "Now let's go see your grandfather; I bet he's grumbling about you taking too long to go meet him in the Keep and Berdine's patience only goes so far," she joked lightly.

* * *

Kahlan walked silently down the path leading to the stream. She bite her knuckle to avoid laughing out loud as she remembered Cara's irritated face from just moments before. She, too, had been annoyed by Zedd's interruption of their flirting, but the opportunity to mess with Cara was too good to pass up. She had had no intention of not going after the blonde; she was just having her wait a little longer.

Noticing the red leathers discarded on the grass, Kahlan caught sight of blond hair midstream. Cara was submerged to her upper back, busy languidly running the soap along her arms, and didn't even bother turning to look at Kahlan until the brunette cleared her throat to get her attention. The Mord'Sith slowly turned around, the water lapping just over her breasts as she looked questioningly back at Kahlan.

"Are you mad at me?" Kahlan called sweetly, worrying her lower lip enticingly.

"No, just surprised to see you," Cara drawled, wading towards Kahlan until the water was only at her waist and they no longer had to raise their voices to be heard. "I thought you preferred to cook instead of… bathe," she said in a low and beguiling voice as she pointedly looked down her naked body.

"I never said I preferred to cook," Kahlan followed Cara's line of sight, swallowing with difficulty and taking a couple of steps closer to the blonde until water touched the tip of her boots.

"In that case," Cara smirked before disappearing completely under the water. Ripples of her passage beneath the surface moved almost to the shallows where Kahlan stood before she effortlessly rose out of the water. Kahlan's wide eyed expression only served to fuel the blonde's confidence as she almost stalked out to Kahlan, drinking in the lust behind the brunette's flustered look.

Kahlan's breath started to become heavier as she watched a dripping wet and completely naked Cara walk towards her with intent, absently dropping the soap on the sandy bank as she closed the distance between them. The devious smirk on Cara's lips made Kahlan smile; the blonde sure knew how to claim attention. Kahlan shamelessly let her eyes wander the blonde's toned body. The brunette licked her lips unconsciously as she stared transfixed at Cara's full breasts; the water on them sparkled in the sun, making Cara's tanned skin glow. Kahlan lowered her gaze to the Mord'Sith abdomen, watching as toned muscles flexed with each small step Cara took. It was when Kahlan's eyes dropped lower that the Confessor let out a needing whimper; the vision of a completely naked Cara was definitely something that made Kahlan's mind shut down.

Cara seductively walked towards an immobilized Kahlan and surrounded the Confessor with her arms, pulling her wet body flush with Kahlan's clothed one. Kahlan blushed, but didn't back down; the brunette circled Cara's neck with one arm and playfully slapped the blonde's upper arm.

"You're incorrigible," she admonished, not quite capable of holding Cara's intense gaze for fear her legs would completely give out beneath her.

"I recall someone telling me that everything's fair in love and war," Cara cocked an eyebrow with a smug smirk. Kahlan closed her eyes as she recognized her own words and moaned when Cara caught her lips in a hungry kiss. She shivered as the blonde's hands slide over her back and hugged her closer.

"You're making me all wet Cara," she jokingly complained against the Mord'Sith's lips as a drop fell from Cara's wet tresses and traveled down her cleavage.

"I hope so," Cara whispered suggestively, raising a teasing eyebrow the moment she saw the recognition on Kahlan's satisfyingly shocked face. Without giving the Confessor a chance to recover from her words, the blonde closed the small gap between them and teasingly bit on Kahlan's lower lip, eliciting a gasp from the Confessor.

Kahlan trembled at the soothing slow lick Cara applied on her bitten lip and used her hand on the back of Cara's neck to pull the blonde's mouth to fully meet her own. Their lips slid slowly and passionately against one another, tongues darting out to taste and tease. Kahlan tangled her fingers in blonde hair at the nape of Cara's neck and moved her other hand to squeeze Cara's bicep. The brunette felt Cara's tongue's movement's change from teasing to insistent, silently asking Kahlan for permission to deepen the kiss. The Confessor allowed Cara access and moaned again at the skillful way in which the blonde explored her mouth; she instinctively thrust her hips wantonly into Cara's, making the Mord'Sith smile into the kiss.

"I think you're in need of a bath," Cara said sultrily and trailed hot kisses down Kahlan's neck.

"I already took one," Kahlan responded distractedly, whimpering at Cara's passionate kisses and pressing her hips against Cara's once again.

"It seems to me that you need to take care of something dirty," Cara teased, lifting her head to look deeply into Kahlan's unfocused eyes and pulled Kahlan's hips closer to hers to get her point across.

"Maybe you should help me," Kahlan invited with a crooked smile, succumbing to her own need to feel the blonde's skin against her own. Kahlan took one of Cara's hands and brought it from her lower back to the tied laces across her breasts, encouraging the other woman to unlace them.

Cara grinned eagerly and noticed Kahlan's amused smile at her reaction. The blonde unlaced a few laces and Kahlan had to bite her lip to suppress a loud moan when Cara lowered her head and placed a hot mouthed kiss on the inner side of one of Kahlan's mounds before continuing to loosen the dress. With a helpful shrug of Kahlan's shoulders the white dress was discarded to the ground, leaving the Confessor in her black corset, undergarments and knee high boots. Cara took a moment to run her eyes up and down Kahlan's body appreciatively.

"As much as I like you in that, I want you out of it," Cara complimented and tugged at the black laces until she freed Kahlan from the corset. The Confessor quickly took off her boots too and grabbed Cara's face with both hands to attack the Mord'Sith's lips with fervor. Kahlan lowered her hands to Cara's collar bone and after a beat lowered one of them to cup Cara's breast, pinching the hard nipple teasingly between her thumb and forefinger.

Cara groaned in response and gripped Kahlan's hips fervently. Without breaking the kiss, Cara flattened her hands on Kahlan's hips, running them up and down in a sensuous caress, making Kahlan arch her back and press her chest firmly against Cara's own. Kahlan ended the kiss and licked a wet path across Cara's jaw, moving the hand from Cara's breast to cup the blonde's cheek tenderly. Her other hand moved from Cara's collar bone to kneed the blonde's neglected breast as the Confessor caught Cara's earlobe between her teeth and started to nibble on the soft flesh. Doing nothing to stifle her own breathy moans, she let them arouse Cara even more. Lost in the passionate touches, Kahlan pushed herself more firmly against the toned body in front of her, forcing the blonde take a few steps back toward the, now very close, edge of the stream in order to maintain her balance.

Cara lowered one hand to cup Kahlan's behind and frowned in displeasure when she felt clothing preventing her from feeling Kahlan's smooth skin. Wanting to change the situation, Cara slide her fingers under the sides of Kahlan's undergarments and made slow circles on the brunette's hips with her thumbs, taking pleasure at the way Kahlan shivered at her touch and reflexively squeezed the Mord'Sith's nipple harder. Hungrily, the blonde started a wet path of hot kisses down Kahlan's neck, stopping to rake her teeth on the juncture between Kahlan's shoulder and neck. She couldn't pause long, however before continuing down to engulfed Kahlan's nipple into her mouth, alternately sucking then flicking her tongue over it.

"Spirits Cara," Kahlan gasped in pleasure, moving her hands to bury her fingers in the blonde's hair and effectively bringing Cara's mouth closer to her skin. Recognizing Kahlan's heightened state of arousal, the Mord'Sith slowed her motions in anticipation of the Confessor pleading with her to stop their activities, but the Confessor surprised with her next words. "It feels so good, don't stop," Kahlan breathed huskily, looking down into Cara's green eyes hungrily.

Keeping her eyes lock with Kahlan's, Cara knelt on the ground and lavished the brunette's toned abs with her lips and tongue. The blonde looked intensely up at Kahlan while sucking slightly on the soft skin at the brunette's hip and finally pulled Kahlan's underwear down. She released the skin with a wet sound and lowered her gaze to admire, for the first time, Kahlan's completely naked body.

"You're beautiful," Cara whispered directly in Kahlan's center, looking up to see a deep red color Kahlan's face and neck. The Confessor cupped the blonde's chin, prompting her to rise to her feet again. Cara got up and kissed Kahlan tenderly on the lips, placing her hand gently on the brunette's hips, tracing small patterns with the tips of her fingers. "I'm really good; I make the Mother Confessor blush and I leave her speechless," Cara wiggled her eyebrows playfully at Kahlan, enjoying the way the brunette squirmed under her gaze.

"Don't flatter yourself," Kahlan smiled shyly and slapped the Mord'Sith's shoulder. This was the first time she had ever been completely naked in front of someone; it was only natural that she was a little shy about it. However, she knew that Cara's teasing and playful banter had one goal only: to ease Kahlan's nerves. Kahlan took a deep, cooling breath, placing her hands on the blonde's shoulders and resting her forehead against Cara's. "We shouldn't be like this in the open," Kahlan looked down at their naked bodies and glanced nervously behind her to the path leading to the stream.

"Where do you suggest we hide?" Cara looked around them to the various trees and behind her to the clean waters. Before she could turn her head back to Kahlan, the blonde felt a strong shove against her shoulders and the water hit her back, surrounding her as she sunk into the stream.

Kahlan laughed at her successful attempt to catch Cara off guard, pushing her into the stream. The Confessor entered the water and, as Cara still didn't resurface, waded further out. She yelped in surprise as she felt something shove her until she had her back against a large worn boulder that interrupted the stream's flow. Kahlan looked down to see a blonde head surfacing with a mischievous smirk. "You startled me for a second, that's not funny," Kahlan said with a mock serious face, wrapping her arm's around Cara's neck while the blonde tenderly caressed Kahlan's shoulders.

"But it's funny to throw me in the stream?" Cara asked disbelievingly.

"You looked like you needed to be cooled down," the Confessor shrugged dismissively.

"I don't think that that's what I need," Cara breathed against Kahlan's lips and captured them ardently once again. The Mord'Sith lowered one hand to cup Kahlan's breast, moaning at feeling of the brunette's nipple hardening beneath her hand as the brunette moaned too.

Cara's hand felt scorching on Kahlan's breast, even underneath the water. They were very close together, but the need Kahlan could feel in the blonde's kisses made the brunette want to be even closer. Kahlan started to feel light headed as a warm and tingling feeling started to spread in her lower belly. On instinct, the brunette lifted her strangely weak feeling legs and wrapped them around Cara's back, aided by the water buoyancy.

Groaning at the change in Kahlan's position, the blonde moved her hands to Kahlan's thighs and instinctually thrust her hips forward, pressing between Kahlan's legs to create some desperately needed friction. The brunette arched her back, hissing in pleasure at the intimate contact and used her shoulders as leverage to grind her hips against Cara's. The blonde moaned throatily and darted her lips to the column of Kahlan's exposed neck, planting her feet firmly on the sandy river bed to prevent herself from being pushed away by the force of the Confessor's hips.

Kahlan could swear the water was heating up around them. Cara's lips nibbling at her earlobe and the blonde's hands moving up to erotically massage her breasts were making it very difficult for Kahlan to keep her eyes open, not to mention thinking coherently. She opened her mouth to warn Cara that their make out session was getting out of hand, but Cara chose that moment to bite her earlobe and slide her hand to the small of Kahlan's back, pulling the Confessor firmly against her. Not surprisingly, instead of a warning, the only thing that came out of Kahlan's mouth was a shamelessly loud moan that proved just how much Kahlan was enjoying the Mord'Sith's attention.

"Sounds like you need the same thing I do," Cara whispered hotly in Kahlan's ear, grinning smugly when the brunette whimpered in response and sunk her nails in the blonde's shoulders.

"You have no idea how much," Kahlan said seductively, lowering her head to kiss Cara's shoulder. Unwrapping her legs from Cara's waist, a powerful swimmer's kick, with one hand on the boulder as leverage, was all that was needed to flip their positions so that she was pressing the unprepared Mord'Sith against the boulder. Before Cara could even think of protesting the change, Kahlan pushed one of her strong thighs in between the blonde's legs.

Feeling Kahlan's leg grinding against her center had Cara unconsciously flattening her feet against the boulder's slop and sliding herself up Kahlan's thigh with a gasp. The blonde took hold of Kahlan's smiling face and kissed her swollen lips desperately, relinquishing control to the Confessor as Kahlan griped Cara's hips and aided the blonde in her sensual movement.

Kahlan ended the kiss and separated her face from Cara far enough to stare spellbound at a quivering Cara. The blonde, her mouth slightly open in pleasure, was taking large gulps of air to feed her fast working body. Her eyes were unfocusedly on as she met Kahlan's gaze, but Kahlan could clearly see the love reflecting from the green orbs. Kahlan was certain that she had never seen Cara look more beautiful.

"Spirits, I never thought I would ever say this, but we should stop," Cara groaned, closing her eyes tightly in noticeable frustration as she pushed softly against Kahlan's arms to stop the Confessor's motion and the motion of her own hips.

Kahlan stopped her movements for a moment and waited until Cara reopened her eyes. When the blonde's lustful eyes were gazing back at her, Kahlan looked deep into them and pushed her thigh firmly against Cara's center, making the blonde whimper in surprise and pleasure. Kahlan left her thigh there while she licked Cara's upper lip teasingly, before finally disentangled their legs and slipping away in the water. Not going very far, she looked back at Cara's open mouth.

"You tease," the Mord'Sith accused, biting her lower lip, but obviously very pleased with Kahlan's dominant side.

"I learned from the best," Kahlan replied promptly, lifting one finger to gently release Cara's swollen lip from between the blonde's teeth and letting her wet digit slide sensuously over the supple flesh.

"That's not helping my restrain," Cara warned as she bit softly on Kahlan's finger. "Get out of the water before I change my mind," the blonde grabbed Kahlan's wrist and placed a tender kiss on the inside of it.

"Would that be such a bad thing?" Kahlan asked with a tilt of her head, combing her fingers through blonde wet locks.

"No," Cara sighed, cupping Kahlan's chin and giving the Confessor a reassuring kiss. "But some things are better when they can be shared," the blonde said softly, looking meaningfully into Kahlan's eyes.

Cara's sentimental words made Kahlan's heart swell and a wide grin illuminate her face. The Confessor nodded her understanding and brought her lips to Cara's once more, conveying with the soft caress how grateful she was for the considerate and tender way in which Cara treated her. She had never guessed the blonde would turn out to be a romantic, but it was hardly the first time she had been wrong.

They got out of the water and took turns drying their bodies with the cloth Cara had brought for herself, all the while stealing glances at each other. To avoid a repeat of what had happened moments before, Kahlan turned her back on Cara with a smile and busied herself with putting on her undergarments and her black corset. Behind her, Cara was taking her time with her leathers, more interested in watching Kahlan comb her fingers through her long dark hair.

"So, Alys told me how you took care of her last night," Kahlan started, glancing at Cara over her shoulder to gauge the blonde's reaction. The Mord'Sith just grunted noncommittally as she adjusted the bottom of her uniform. "Why didn't you wake me? I could have helped," Kahlan prodded.

"Because you were asleep," Cara deadpanned.

At Cara's quick reply Kahlan let out a full laugh, causing Cara to raise her eyebrows is wonderment. "So I've heard," Kahlan said still chuckling and remembering how Alys had giving her the exact same answer in the exact same tone. It looked like she was the only one missing that obvious piece of logic.

"She told me that when you hugged her, she closed her eyes and it was like she was back at home again," Kahlan continued as she pulled up her white dress. "What do you think that means?"

"She's your daughter; she probably gets a lot of hugs from you," Cara rationalized with a shrug, sliding her arms through the tight leather sleeves.

"She probably does," Kahlan agreed and moved behind Cara to help the blonde with the laces at her back. "But she wasn't talking about me," the brunette hinted, knowing that Cara was well aware of what she was referring to, but for some reason still avoiding the subject.

"She said she missed me," Cara revealed with a resigned sigh. "So I'm probably with her in the future; I must be part of her life too," the Mord'Sith reasoned, seemly unconcerned with the implications of her theory, except, of course, for her reluctance to speak of it in the first place.

"I suspect that you're a bigger part of her life than we think," Kahlan mused, finishing the intricate laces at Cara's back; the image of Alys deflecting the wizard's fire flashing through her eyes. "Did you see how well her hands healed?" she asked, rounding Cara to stand in front of the blonde.

"You must have taken a wizard for a mate," Cara shrugged and cleared her throat uncomfortably, bending down to retrieve her agiels.

"Richard's not the father, didn't you hear what Alys said the other day?" the Confessor recalled, furrowing at Cara's cold tone.

"I heard her say Richard's not the father, but I also heard her said that you took a mate," Cara corrected, wishing that Kahlan dropped the topic. She hated to be reminded that eventually Kahlan would have to lie down with a man to fulfill her duty as a Confessor, to have children in order to continue the line of Confessors. "So the bastard probably is a wizard," she said, shoving her agiels in their holsters with a lot more forcefully than needed.

"You don't know that," Kahlan contradicted, as a hint of a smile curved her lips at Cara's very noticeable distaste for the idea of a man touching Kahlan.

"Can you find another reasonable explanation for your daughter's little tricks?" the blonde challenged, leaving one hand griping one of her agiels and locking her gaze with Kahlan's.

"I can't give you a _reasonable_ one," the Confessor conceded, shaking her head. "But the way she is with you keeps nagging at me for some reason," she insisted, cupping the blonde's cheeks and looking at her with a hopeful smile.

"I know what you're thinking and you can stop right there," Cara warned, gently grabbing Kahlan's wrists. "You know that's impossible," Cara said, letting go of the brunette's wrist and turning around to pick up the discarded cloth on the ground and spread it over a rock so that it could dry a little.

"What if it was possible?" Kahlan wondered hopefully, twiddling her fingers nervously.

"For the Creator's sake Kahlan, not that it would make a difference, but we can't even have sex," Cara briskly swiveled around and pointed out more harshly than she intended. She didn't regret her words; she regretted the way she said them, but the look on Kahlan's face told her that the Confessor was more disappointed with the fact that Cara was right than by the harsh tone Cara had used. "Come here," Cara beckoned, opening her arms to hold Kahlan tenderly as the brunette sunk in her embrace.

"I just wish things were simpler," Kahlan whispered while nuzzling Cara's neck.

"I know, but they're not," the Mord'Sith gently replied, soothingly stroking the wet hair on the back of Kahlan's head. "I don't have that kind of magical powers and you do have a line to rebuild; it's your duty Kahlan. I know you won't run away from it and you can be sure I'll be right beside you all the way," Cara promised. "I just don't want you to fantasize about something that will only get you hurt when it doesn't come true." For her, musing about the impossible, even if that impossible was what they both wanted, it was just setting them both up for heartache. Cara was sure they would be together, but miracles didn't exist and she had come to accept what needed to be done so that Kahlan could fulfill her duty. She didn't like it, but she accepted it.

"Thank you," Kahlan whispered against Cara's neck.

"For what?" the Mord'Sith placed a kiss on Kahlan's temple before the Confessor lifted her head to gaze deep into Cara's eyes.

"Loving me," Kahlan answered sincerely, smiling as she leaned in to kiss Cara's lips softly.

"That's a pretty easy thing to do," the blonde shrugged playfully, although the sincerity in her eyes let Kahlan know that those words were the plain truth. "The hard part is you loving me back. I know I can be… challenging most of the time," Cara shifted her eyes away from Kahlan's gaze, noticeably losing some of her confidence.

"You are," Kahlan confirmed, moving her hand to Cara's chin to direct the blonde's gaze back to hers. "But your tough act hasn't fooled me in a long time," she shook her head and stroke a loving hand down Cara's cheek. "And you're loosing your touch; you can't even fool a kid anymore," Kahlan gasped, her eyes widening in mock shock, earning herself a poke in the ribs from Cara.

"Obviously that's because she knows me better than she let's on," Cara defended herself. "But whatever I am in the future doesn't matter right now," Cara shrugged. "Right now we'll take Alys home, where she belongs. I can only imagine how your future self is reacting; she's probably having a fit." Cara supposed, watching Kahlan nod in agreement.

"And with a wizard on the loose trying to kill me, my guess is that Alys's disappearance is not the only thing she has to worry about," the Confessor added with a troubled look.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hey guys! Thank you for the reviews :) Here's the next chapter, I hope you like it. Have fun reading it and let me know what you think. **

Chapter 15

As he walked, Richard casually pulled the compass from his belt and checked their direction. It was something the others were used to seeing him do and no one paid any attention to it. The arrow, as it had everyday for the past week of their journey, remained firmly pointed in Aydindril's direction. Glumly, Richard put the compass away, resigned in his disappointment. The Seeker knew he was still not his old self. A part of him kept hoping this was some kind of mistake. Although he was able to speak with more ease to Kahlan and to Cara, he still refrained from teasing the blonde freely as he once had and was subdued in either's presence. The sight of Kahlan and Cara together, even if they weren't doing anything more than sharing a look, made his chest ache with sorrow and jealously. He was aware that everyone had noticed that he was more introverted; how could they not? It was not just the pain he felt every time he looked longingly at Kahlan that caused him to be anxious and frustrated, the unanswered questions about Alys and the future crowded his mind. There was still so much they still didn't know. Perhaps getting the answers would help him move passed this pain… although he wasn't sure he wanted to know if they confirmed that he had really lost Kahlan. Nevertheless, he was the Seeker of Truth; it was his nature to get the answers, or at least, to not stop searching for them until he got them. As for getting Kahlan, that was something that looked farther away with every day that passed.

Kahlan had noticed how Richard was quieter; he walked ahead of them and barely glanced behind. He was friendly to her and Cara both, but there was this air of detachment that Kahlan had no idea how to counteract. The brunette couldn't really blame Richard for keeping to himself. Zedd had assured her earlier that he was confident that Richard would eventually return to normal, but right now he needed time to mourn the loss of his relationship with Kahlan. The Confessor could only hope that this would prove to be true.

Shaking her thoughts away from Richard, Kahlan let her attention drift to her daughter. Soon, she was smiling as she entertained herself by eavesdropping as Zedd took it upon himself to amuse the child. The Wizard constructed a tale that stretched over several miles as early afternoon turned into late, his voice rising and falling as he gestured animatedly. Zedd was actually a credible story teller, but by the way the child was absentmindedly nodding her head as they trudged along ahead of Kahlan, the elder Confessor guessed that Zedd had already told her this story and Alys was only indulging the old wizard. Her attention started to drift again and, peeking at Cara beside her, Kahlan noticed she wasn't the only one the story telling had entertained. She smiled as the Mord'Sith smirked and shook her head softly, to herself, as the wizard's gestures became exceptionally enthusiastic. A moment later, however, the blonde suddenly stopped. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration and she tilted her head as if trying to hear something. Kahlan opened her mouth to ask, when, seemingly instantly, the sound of hooves could be clearly heard by all of them as the riders must have crested the hill behind them. They turned as one to face the road behind them, stepping to the side of the path as Kahlan readied herself to see those who were riding for Aydindril in such a hurry. On the curve of the road, instead of the supplicant Kahlan expected to see racing for Aydindril and a Confessor's aid, appeared four black horses galloping in their direction. For an instant, she gaped, blinking as the four Mord'Sith clad in blood red leather thundered towards them and her hands dropped to her daggers.

"Get behind me you two," Richard said urgently to Zedd and Alys, unsheathing his sword and quickly striding forward, ready to be the first one the Mord'Sith would reach. "And prepare to flee at any sign of trouble," he added, knowing his grandfather's magic was useless against Mord'Sith.

Cara promptly flanked the Seeker and drew her agiels, ready to come to his aid. Kahlan moved to Cara's other side, drawing her daggers and extending one to Richard, making the Seeker look at her in confusion. Cara looked down at the weapon been offered in front of her and nodded in understanding.

"It's not only Zedd's magic that's useless against Mord'Sith," the blonde verbalized Kahlan's intention, looking pointedly at Richard as she motioned for him to take the dagger.

The Seeker nodded in understanding at Cara and put his sword back in its scabbard. Smiling gratefully at Kahlan, Richard took the dagger from the Confessor's hands and focused his attention back on the approaching horses.

"Stay with Zedd, Alys," Kahlan said over her shoulder to the girl, watching as she clutched the wizard's robes in fear. "If things take a turn for the worse, take her with you," she told the wizard needlessly, silently vowing retribution for her daughter's fear. She looked back to the road ahead, standing ready to protect her loved ones.

"Don't worry, little one," Zedd reassured the frightened young Confessor. "We won't let them hurt you," he put an arm comfortingly around Alys' tense shoulders.

The Mord'Sith pulled their horses to a stop a few paces in front of them and dismounted calmly. The women took a few steps towards the Seeker and halted just outside of weapons' reach. The leader of the quad stepped out in front of the other three and scornfully ran her eyes over the opposition, mutely scornful. None of the women had drawn their agiels yet, but their alert posture showed that they were ready to attack at any moment.

"We're here to take the little girl," Garren said curtly, glancing in Alys's direction.

"To take the girl, you'll have to go through us first," Kahlan took a defiant step towards Garren, a clear challenge in the brunette's eyes. "And that it's not going to happen," she guaranteed, hand clenching around her dagger.

"Oh, you're wrong _Mother Confessor_," Garren spat Kahlan's title as if it tasted bitter on her tongue. "We will happily take you down and leave with the girl." She smirked arrogantly, drawing her agiel threateningly.

"Actually, I'll be the only one of us leaving with the midget," Gwen's voice sounded from behind Garren. Without any warning, Gwen rapidly brought her arms from behind her back and stabbed two black agiels right in the nape of the head's of the Sisters at both her sides. The women didn't even have time to grab their weapons to defend themselves.

The last of Gwen's words were drowned out by the screams of the brunette's agiels and the thuds of two lifeless bodies hitting the ground. Garren swiveled around sharply to see what had happened. The Mord'Sith leader had no idea if she should be more astounded by the dead Mord'Sith at Gwen's feet or by the black agiels Gwen held in her hands. The red agiel with which she had trained the brunette still rested impotently in its holster at the woman's side.

"What the-"Garren trailed off in confusion, her eyes searching Gwen's for understanding. "Where did you get those?" she demanded, anger beginning to color her tone as the shock faded.

"In the woods," the brunette Mord'Sith replied simply, her eyes going from Garren to the confused and suspicious ones of the other four adults. "Where I had dropped them," she elaborated, not relaxing her vigilant stance for a second.

Kahlan caught Gwen's searching eyes and she felt oddly invaded by the intense gaze; it was as if the Mord'Sith was trying to see into her very soul. She watched as the young Mord'Sith's gaze shifted to Cara and the searching look turned into one of utter disbelief. Not one to be intimidated, Cara stared the young woman down, mutely telling Gwen that whatever her intentions were, she wasn't going to get away with them.

"What exactly do you think you are doing!" Garren snarled, pivoting so that she could see the young Mord'Sith without turning her back on anyone else. Gwen's eyes snapped satisfyingly back to Garren. "I'm your _Mistress," _the head Mord'Sith's tone sank into an icy, menacing growl and her eyes blazed into her Sister's, willing her submission. "Your loyalty belongs to me; I trained you, _you_ are _mine!_" Garren commanded uselessly, her back stiffening as Gwen met her stare and didn't look away. This shouldn't be happening; she had _broken_ this girl. Garren had never seen a Mord'Sith betray her Sisters and challenge a superior like this. She took a half step back, shifting her grip on her agiel into a defensive hold.

"I have been _trained _all my life," Gwen smirked, her tone more confident and commanded than Garren had ever heard it. "But I was trained to _lead_, not to _follow_," she raised her head proudly. "And what you did to me back in the temple was _torture_, not _training_," the brunette spat. "So you can keep this, I'm not really fond of it." Letting one of the black agiels dangle from its chain at her wrist, Gwen plucked the red agiel from her waist and threw it at Garren's feet, obviously mocking her. "I have my own weapons; weapons I was _trained_ with."

* * *

Kahlan stared, dumbfounded, at the scene she was witnessing. The Confessor glanced at Cara for enlightenment, but the blonde's astounded expression was enough to let her know that this was not at all normal. Cara focused on the rogue Mord'Sith, apparently more worried about her than about Garren, as the two bantered. Kahlan griped her daggers and risked a glance at Alys, making sure her daughter was still safe, before whispering questioningly at Cara, "Does she look familiar to you?"

"As surprising as it may be, I don't know every Mord'Sith that exists," Cara quipped while inching protectively close to Kahlan without looking away from the other two Mord'Sith.

"I just can't shake the feeling that she looks familiar somehow," Kahlan absentmindedly shared her thoughts with the blonde, a small smile creeping to her lips as she was charmed by Cara's need to protect her from whatever threat they faced. It was wiped away, an instant later, as Kahlan gaped at the way the young Mord'Sith threw an agiel at her Mistress' feet.

* * *

"What do you really want, Gwen?" Garren asked through her teeth, truly worried about this betrayal. It was impossible. The whole thing was impossible.

"The real name is Sarah," the young Mord'Sith informed her, glancing at the bodies at her feet as she stepped forward. "And I want the same thing you do," she smiled menacingly. "The girl." Sarah glanced at Alys, frowning when she noticed Zedd shove the girl further behind him. She shook her head slightly and turned back to Garren. "So, thanks, for pointing me in the midget's direction."

"I don't know who you are," Garren admitted angrily. "But you won't get in my way or prevent me from fulfilling my mission," she growled. "If you can't be broken properly, you can certainly be killed." Her agiel screamed louder as her fingers tightened around the hilt.

"I'm so sick of that little stick of yours," the daring girl huffed, looking bored. A teasing smirk started to appear on her lips. "You want to see what I call an agiel?" Sarah taunted while bringing both her agiels together at the handle, horizontally.

Garren starred with wide eyes, stunned by what was happening before her. The black agiels merged at the hilt, lengthen into a staff. The screams coming from the stretching agiels grew as the weapons did, becoming even louder than the screams coming from her own. By the screeching sound that it emitted as Sarah swung the agiel-staff in an experimental test of Garren's defenses, it was a _very_ dangerous weapon.

Garren was not the only one surprised and confused by Sarah's morphing weapon. The other onlookers were also stunned. Richard looked at Cara in hopes that the blonde Mord'Sith had an explanation, but sighed in frustration when Cara just glanced back at him looking flabbergasted and suspicious. She shook her head mutely.

"That's right, mine is bigger than yours," Sarah said in an insinuating manner, smirking and looking straight into Garren's eyes insolently as the elder Mord'Sith blocked hurriedly. "And I know how to use it." Sarah pivoted, bringing the other end of her staff around and extending her leg into Garren's path as the other tried to doge. Garren crash soundly onto the hard ground and Sarah pinned the woman in place with one end of the staff, her weapon screaming in victory as it burned into Garren.

"You are undeserving of the Mord'Sith title," Garren accused between gasps of pain, trying to get up from the ground and unable to make her muscle respond properly as she endured the excruciating bite of the black staff. "I'm ashamed to call you my Sister," she said, summoning all the willpower she possessed to try and twist away, but a hard kick to her stomach prevented her from getting up.

"I'm not your Sister," Sarah denied spitefully.

"You're not Mord'Sith?" Garren asked confused, briefly stopping her struggling in surprise and puzzlement.

"I _am_ Mord'Sith," Sarah lifted her chin proudly, using her weight behind the staff to press the weapon more firmly on Garren's stomach as the older Mord'Sith gritted her teeth in pain. "But the difference between us is that I was _born_, not broken." She took a deep breath, her fingers clenching tighter around her staff. "So now you can see why I don't enjoy being hung from chains while being poked with an agiel," Sarah shouted angrily and shoved the end of her weapon against Garren's heart with vengeance, ending the woman's life.

Suddenly silent above Garren's lifeless body, Sarah shook her head and turned away to look at Alys. Without any hesitation or fear, the Mord'Sith moved in the child's direction. Seeing this, Kahlan rapidly moved to stand more protectively in front of Alys, serving as a shield for her daughter. Although, not wanting to take any chances, Kahlan lunged at Sarah, attacking the Mord'Sith with a series of quick and skilled strikes. Sarah was quick to defend herself with expertise and as Sarah parried her first few blows, Kahlan recognized that this girl was good. Yet, as the young Mord'Sith continued to block Kahlan's attacks, it almost seemed that Sarah was anticipating her attacks, as if she knew Kahlan's fight style. The cocky smirk that started to appear in Mord'Sith's lips didn't help to assuage Kahlan's flash of fear as she started to worry. It was like attacking a wall. Even more puzzling was the fact that Sarah remained completely on the defensive; she didn't once try to attack Kahlan, she just blocked everything the Confessor threw at her.

The Confessor interpreted this lack of offense by arrogance from the Mord'Sith. Kahlan looked into the sparking green eyes of her opponent and surely the young woman was like a cat, playing with her prey before striking the final blow. Kahlan refused to be a mouse in the paws of an enemy, so she doubled her efforts and missed Sarah's abdomen by very little. This caused the young woman to loose her smirk and lightly brush Kahlan's shin with her staff; the touch although light, was enough to render Kahlan to her knees from the searing pain.

Seeing her mother fall, Alys tried to jerk free of Zedd's grip.

Sarah looked like she was about to say something, but Cara didn't gave her the chance. Already she had been moving to circle around the combatants, attempting to flank the girl before the young brunette had managed to hit Kahlan. Hearing the Confessor scream as the black agiel touched her, Cara attacked the young Mord'Sith without hesitation, giving up her attempt to encircle the girl as Kahlan fell.

Turning from Kahlan, Sarah parried Cara's first swing. The blond Mord'Sith gasped in surprise at the deafening screams the clashing agiels emitted and Sarah grunted in pain from the force of their colliding weapons. Since none of them had yet touched her in this fight, it led Cara to think that the Mord'Sith probably had unhealed wounds beneath her leather. The blonde smirked in satisfaction at this new found knowledge and the split second she was distracted was enough for Sarah to almost hit her. Every hair on Cara's body stood up in alert; it was clear that Sarah had unexpected prowess to get that close to harming _her_.

They traded a couple of blows and Cara noticed that, like she had done with Kahlan, Sarah was opting to be primarily on the defensive, her few attacks half hearted attempts to get some breathing space. The brunette Mord'Sith movements were slowing and her ragged breath was a sign that she was becoming increasingly tired, but there was a strange kind of proud stubbornness in the girl's eyes. Cara could see that she probably wouldn't back down even if she was still holding back. Driving her opponent away from Kahlan as the Confessor struggled to rise, Cara managed to catch one end of the black staff between her agiels; she looked at Sarah with a smirk of victory only to see a perfect copy of her own smug smirk on the girl's face. Before Cara had time to read Sarah's expression better, she felt an excruciating and familiar pain on her abdomen. The blonde looked down to see that Sarah had separated her agiels again; one of them still trapped between Cara's red ones and the other firmly held against the blonde's stomach.

Kahlan saw the Mord'Sith get under Cara's defenses and wasted no time in throwing her dagger at the young Mord'Sith holding an agiel against the woman she loved. As she started to release the blade, Alys desperately jerked free from Zedd and collided with her mother, making her stumble. The dagger spun through the air, only to cut Sarah's arm instead of striking its intended location.

Sarah screamed in pain, falling to her knees and lifting one hand to cradle the cut. Taking advantage of Sarah's vulnerable state, Cara raised her agiel to strike the wounded brunette.

"NO," Alys screamed desperately, struggling against Kahlan's grip as the elder Confessor caught her before she could get to the two fighting Mord'Sith. "Stop, don't hurt her," the blonde Confessor pleaded with Cara, stunning the other three adults and causing the older blonde pause in her attack.

Seizing the opportunity, Sarah carefully scooted back away from Cara.

"She wants to take you away, Alys," Cara responded, advancing on the wounded Mord'Sith again.

"I don't want to hurt Alys," Sarah hurriedly explained before Cara could get to her, her eyes wide and desperate. She suspected that she was only confusing Cara further.

"She won't take me away," Alys promised. "Please, let me go," she pleaded, tugging her arm free from Kahlan's hold and struggling against the arm still around her waist.

After another moment's hesitation, Kahlan let the girl go. Her jaw dropped as Alys practically flew into the brunette Mord'Sith's arms.

Cara made a move to stop Alys mid run, not understanding how Kahlan could be so careless with this stranger, but Kahlan caught her eye mid motion. Scowling, Cara glared back at her.

"Clearly Alys knows who this girl is," Kahlan whispered reassuringly before Cara could voice her protest. "And Sarah did kill the other Mord'Sith," Kahlan smiled as Cara sighed in defeat at her logic and climbed to her feet. Standing beside her Mord'Sith, Kahlan touched Cara's arm reassuringly as Cara regard the young Mord'Sith and Confessor with suspicion.

"Thank the Spirits I finally found you," Sarah exhaled in relief, hugging Alys tightly to her body. "Are you okay?" she asked, pushing Alys away from her to look in the blonde's eyes.

"I had some people taking care of me," Alys nodded and tilted her head in Cara's and Kahlan's direction.

"About that," Sarah trailed off as she got to her feat with a painful wince and regarded the four adults closely. "What's going on here? Because something doesn't look right," the young woman inquired; although she addressed no one in particular, her eyes ended up settling on Cara.

"That would be you," Cara supplied curtly.

Sarah just raised one confused, albeit amused, eyebrow and turned to look expectantly at the little blonde smiling up at her at her side.

"I assume you went through a portal back home, right?" Alys questioned, looking up at Sarah and watching as the Mord'Sith eyes became distant for a moment, clearly remembering what had happened to her.

"Yes, I did." Sarah cleared her throat uncomfortably and swallowed hard, noticing Cara pin her with a suspicious look.

"I did too," Alys said with a shrug. "And that made us travel twenty years back in time," the blue eyed child explained simply, nodding as Sarah gapped at her.

"So they," Sarah trailed off, looking curiously at the other four and waiting for Alys to fill in the blanks.

"They're exactly who they look like they are," Alys confirmed. "Only twenty years younger," she added with a giggle, watching as Sarah's eyes traveled over every inch of the little blonde's traveling companions, analyzing them.

"Glad to see you know us," Cara said sarcastically. "But as you can imagine, we would like to know who you are too." The blonde raised an expectant eyebrow.

Contrary to what Cara expected Sarah just looked sadly at her before nodding her head in understanding. The brunette Mord'Sith moved her agiels to her back, clearly expecting to find some kind of holster there, but, not finding any, she just held the weapons loosely in her hands.

"I'm Sarah," she responded simply.

"Sarah what?" Richard asked.

"It's just Sarah; you don't really have to know anything else," she said with a dismissive shrug.

"You just waltzed in here accompanied by Mord'Sith, demanding to take Alys with you," Cara summoned up coldly. "Excuse us if we need more information than that to trust you," the blonde insisted, clearly not amused by the lack of knowledge.

"Did the same wizard that pushed Alys into the portal push you too?" Zedd asked, waiting patiently as Sarah seemed to be deciding what she should tell him; or rather, how much she should tell him. Unlike Cara, Zedd didn't attribute this reluctance to any dark motive nor did he consider it a reason to distrust the girl. Rather, Zedd recognized in Sarah the same careful consideration Alys displayed when she was trying to avoid telling them too much about the future because of the possible drastic consequences that might bring.

"Farkas didn't push me," Sarah said finally, a flash of sadness darkening her eyes. "I jumped in," she forced out as her throat closed with sudden emotion. Sarah glanced at Cara and blinked back the abrupt tears that clouded her vision.

"What happened?" Kahlan asked kindly, glancing from the unexpectedly upset Sarah to the confused Cara.

Sarah shrugged, looking at Kahlan and quickly averting her eyes from the Confessor. "I saw Farkas push Alys into the hole, then he jumped in, so I ran and jumped in to get to Alys before the hole closed," she explained simply, smiling down at Alys.

"If you're only meeting Alys now, where did you end up?" Kahlan continued her gentle questioning, noticing how Sarah perked up with the slight change of subject.

"If you jumped in after Alys shouldn't you have ended up with her in this time?" Richard asked before Sarah could reply to Kahlan. The brunette raised her eyebrows, seeming to be interested in this answer too, so she looked at Zedd for clarification.

"Time and space are directly linked; if they entered the portal at separated times, even if only by seconds," Zedd calmly explained. "And as neither had the wizard's power needed to control the Triangle of Anuyr, they very well could have ended up separated by miles on this side of the portal," the wizard nodded pensively.

"And you ended up in the middle of a Mord'Sith temple?" Cara guessed dryly. Given that Alys clearly knew and trusted this girl, Cara's companions seemed ready to accept her minimal explanation but Cara was not willing to do the same just yet. Someone had to watch out for all of them.

"Almost," Sarah answered, unfazed by Cara's noticeable distrust. "I woke up in the middle of the forest during the night. I felt completely drained of strength, my vision was all blurry, and I had no idea where I was. I got up and started to look around for my agiels. I couldn't really concentrate and I didn't notice two Mord'Sith creep up on me." Sarah recalled. "I tried to resist them, we fought a little, but they ended up taking me away. The next time I woke up, I was dangling from chains with only two strips of leather covering some of the best parts of me." Sarah smirked mischievously, causing Kahlan to tilt her head in confusion as she recognized that expression from somewhere.

"Why did you stay in the temple?" Alys questioned, interrupting Kahlan's musings. "You could have easily gotten out, couldn't you?" the little girl wondered.

"It would have been impossible for her to escape a temple full of Mord'Sith," Cara said with a disbelieving snort. "That's ridiculous," she added with a shake of her head.

"Well, when she was my age she did manage to fool the entire Home Guard, the Mord'Sith _and_ the Mother Confessor herself so that she could get out of Aydindril," Alys told them. "So I kind of expected her to escape from the temple," the child reasoned, unconsciously revealing more things about the future.

"I was reckless that time and I was reckless again when I jumped into that portal," Sarah said in serious tone, the hint of sadness returning to her voice. "When I first woke up in the training room, Garren didn't believe I was a Mord'Sith, so they had a wizard summoned to blast me with wizard's fire and clarify the doubts. That wizard was Farkas," Sarah revealed, noticing Alys widen her eyes in worry and the others silently encouraging her to share more about the wizard who, days ago, had attacked Kahlan. "He didn't recognize me, probably because I wasn't exactly at my best," she hinted at her battered state, not wanting to spell it out for Alys' sake. Focusing her gaze on the blonde Confessor, Sarah continued. "Knowing that he might have you and you might be in danger I couldn't afford to be reckless again," she explained, taking a deep breath. "So I stayed, I gained their trust and I was careful to stay out of Farkas's sight. I overheard a conversation between him and Garren; they were planning to kidnap you. I didn't know what was going on, but I knew that my best chance at finding you was to be on the squad sent out to kidnap you. And here I am," Sarah finished, ruffling Alys's hair affectionately.

"Farkas seemed surprised when Alys rebuffed his attack," Richard said pensively. "At the time I thought he was just taken aback that a child managed to block his wizard's fire, but maybe he just wasn't expecting to see Alys there with us," the Seeker supposed, fixing his eyes on Sarah curiously as his mind tried to identify what was it about the young Mord'Sith that he was almost able to recognize.

"Farkas attacked you?" Sarah exclaimed with wide eyes, grabbing Alys's hands and worriedly examining every inch of the now healed skin. Kahlan couldn't help but smile at the familiar way both girls interacted with each other. It was obvious by the way Alys' safety came first and foremost to Sarah that she cared deeply for the little blonde girl.

"She jumped in front of the wizard's fire to protect me," Kahlan supplied, once again feeling worry mixing with pride as she recalled her daughter's brave act.

"He looked different, but it was him," Alys nodded and her eyes widened as she saw the rage start to build in Sarah's eyes. "But I'm okay, don't worry," the blonde hurriedly reassured the upset teen in front of her, flexing her hands rapidly to prove that they were healed. "I'm a big girl," she added, raising her chin proudly and pointedly looking at Sarah. "I can fight, too."

"I'm aware of that," Sarah confirmed, taking a deep calming breath. "But when it comes to facing wizard's fire… let's see if I can guess how well _that_ went," Sarah tapped her chin with a finger with a mock exaggerated pensive look. "You _bravely_ blacked out after deflecting the attack," Sarah snorted in amusement when Alys stubbornly refused to meet her eyes. Sarah looked at Kahlan for confirmation, which the older Confessor gave in the form of a small smile.

Alys made everyone chuckle as she grumpily crossed her arms over her chest and pouted while looking sideways at Sarah.

"Don't look so brooding, midget," Sarah teased. "You did hurt him. I saw him wince every time he moved his shoulder the wrong way," she revealed with a wink, watching as Alys's pout morphed into a wicked grin.

"Can you tell us more about Farkas?" Kahlan questioned, hoping that Sarah would know something that would help them prepare for possible future attacks.

"First things first," Sarah said assertively, but not unkindly. "Can I assume you have a plan to get us back to our time?" her eyes danced anxiously from Kahlan to Zedd.

"We must go to Aydindril to get to the Triangle of Anuyr," Zedd started to explain. "If I use it, I'll be able to send you back to your proper time. I'm confident that Farkas used it to-,"

"So this triangle allows time traveling?" Sarah eagerly interrupted the wizard's explanation, before her expression turned apologetic for having interrupted him so unceremoniously.

As Zedd nodded his confirmation, Sara smiled joyfully. For the first time she looked like the teenage girl she was supposed to be, it was like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.

"That's where we're headed now," Kahlan added as the teenager nodded approvingly. Kahlan narrowed her eyes as she observed Sara closely. Finally, Kahlan understood what made the girl seem so familiar to her. The green eyes that she was now used to seeking out for comfort - Cara's eyes - were now shinning with happiness as Sarah looked back at her. Sarah's look was perhaps a more open and childish one, but the similarities were undeniable.

Richard was also paying close attention to the young Mord'Sith. Without knowing the path of Kahlan's thoughts, he was thinking the same thing; he too had been gradually recognizing the similarities between this girl and Cara. That Sarah was a teenager; her body was noticeably growing into the one of a young woman, which made the similarities between the two Mord'Sith's easier to detect than those between the Confessors. Adding the fact that Alys knew this girl and both of them had come from the future, his mind automatically reached one conclusion.

"You look like you could be Cara's daughter," Richard blurted out. He paled as Sarah glared at him warningly and actually took a half-step back.

Cara almost gave herself whiplash by turning her head too quickly to look at Richard. The blonde was about to ask the Seeker if he had caught a little too much sun when Sarah's hastily reply stopped her.

"I'm not," Sarah held Richard's gaze for a moment, but then she glanced at Kahlan and unexpectedly slapped her forehead as she seemed to realize something. "Great, now you know that I'm lying" she huffed causing everyone to gap at her; except for Alys, who just rolled her eyes and was looking expectantly between Sarah and the speechless adults.

Cara's head snapped back to look at Sarah as all the conversationalist seeming conspired to cause her neck sever injury. The older Mord'Sith furrowed her eyebrows in utter confusion, surveying Sarah from head to toe as if trying to find evidence of the truthfulness of the young woman's words. This could only be a joke. Looking closely Cara could recognize that, in fact, this girl looked like her, but that didn't directly imply that they would be related in any way. The blonde glanced at Richard to see a pleased and hopeful smirk on the man's face and she actually had to consciously restrain herself from smacking it off his face, because she was pretty sure what he was thinking.

The Seeker allowed himself to hope like he hadn't done in a while. He was desperately grabbing to anything that might mean that Kahlan would eventually be his again. He could understand Kahlan's need to be pregnant in the future; even if she truly _did_ end up with Cara, the brunette had a duty to help reestablish the line of Confessors. She would have to have a child, whether the mate of her heart was capable of siring one or not. But Cara had no such responsibility. There was no duty, nothing that made it necessary for Cara to become pregnant. For her to have conceived and carried a child would mean that she had chosen to do so, so if Sarah was Cara's daughter it could very well mean that Kahlan and Cara were not together in the future.

"I can't know if you are lying or not," Kahlan contradicted automatically; staring blankly at Sarah as she tried to make her constricted lungs work normally again. "You're Mord'Sith. Confessors can't read Mord'Sith."

Abstractly, Kahlan was surprised that the girl didn't know this already. Kahlan kept her gaze on the puzzled Sarah, but her arm unconsciously moved and she hooked her fingers on the side of Cara's belt; the brunette's body clearly seeking the comfort she needed before her mind could catch up. Kahlan only noticed her instinctive movement when she felt the blonde's gloved fingers gently and surreptitiously brush hers reassuringly before Cara crossed her arms again.

"Excuse me?" Sarah raised her eyebrows and placed her hands on her hips. "You're kidding me, right?" she scoffed, a little taken aback by Kahlan's denial about being able to read her. At Kahlan's confused expression, Sarah squinted, staring at the brunette Confessor as if waiting for Kahlan to tell her that she had indeed been kidding. "Oh Spirits, you _are_ serious," Sarah whispered, her head tilted in intern contemplation as her eyes became distant while thinking about this revelation. A muffled sound at her side made Sarah look over to see Alys covering her mouth to keep herself from bursting out laughing.

"You find this funny, Alys?" Sarah asked with a hint of annoyance, crossing her arms defensively over her chest and raising one eyebrow in frustration.

Kahlan instantly recognized how the girl's posture and gestures resembled Cara's own. It seemed that Sarah had more in common with Cara than just the looks. Kahlan's musings were interrupted as Alys uncovered her mouth and let her laughter run free.

"I can believe this," Sarah muttered, looking from a laughing Alys to a very confused Kahlan.

"So we've met Kahlan's daughter and now we meet Cara's daughter," Richard resumed with a contemplative nod. "Did anyone else go through that portal?" the Seeker asked Sarah.

"Kahlan's daughter?" Sarah repeated, ignoring Richard's question and looking reproachfully at Alys.

"They figured it out on their own; it's not like it was that difficult," Alys hurriedly justified. "And you are one to give me lectures; you just blurted out what you weren't suppose to tell," the child accused, seeming very pleased with herself when Sarah just rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

While Alys and Sarah were bickering, Kahlan looked over at Cara to survey the Mord'Sith's reaction. The blonde had her arms crossed over her chest and was staring into the distance with a stoic expression. Kahlan tugged gently on the blonde's belt again to regain Cara's attention. The Mord'Sith turned her head to the side and met the Confessor's eyes. Kahlan recognized the confusion in Cara's eyes and she was pretty sure she was the only one who could detect the hint of apprehension Cara was trying to hide.

Unsure and fearful about what Sarah's existence could mean, Kahlan inched closer to Cara and moved her hand from the blonde's belt to rest it on Cara's forearm, making soothing motions with her thumb. Kahlan watched as Cara uncrossed her arms and dropped her hand to met Cara's, interlacing their fingers. Kahlan promptly squeezed the blonde's hand and sighed shakily when Cara squeezed her hand back, looking up into green eyes. Her touch had been meant to seek and give comfort and the small twitch of Cara's lips, not quite a full smile, reassured Kahlan that her gesture was greatly appreciated. The brunette smiled, in silent understanding that they could talk later, when they found some privacy. With a last squeeze of her hand, Kahlan released her hold on Cara and turned to look back at the girls, catching Sarah looking sorrowfully in the direction of hers and Cara's hands. But before she could study Sarah's expression more closely, the young Mord'Sith caught Kahlan's curious look and quickly turned away.

"I need to change," Sarah said miserably as she shifted uncomfortably, looking down with disdain at her red leather. She hissed slightly as the shifting provoked her injuries painfully; now that she was more relaxed, her awareness of the multiple wounds she gained back in the Mord'Sith Temple seemed to intensify. The young Mord'Sith went to one of the horses and rummaged through one of the saddle bags until she pulled out what looked like a set of black leathers. "This is more like it," she nodded approvingly at the clothes in her hands. She had been immensely pleased when she had accidently found her own leathers while wandering around inside the Mord'Sith Temple. The black leathers had clearly been forgotten there and so she had hidden them and only went to collect them the night before departing to kidnap Alys. "I'll just be a second," she informed the others and went towards the trees looking for a secluded place where she could change out of the red leathers.

"I'll go with you," Alys sprinted the small distance until she reached Sarah's side, grabbing the brunette's gloved hand.

Sarah was apprehensive about letting Alys come with her. She didn't want to scare the little girl with the sight of her marked body, but sighed when the blonde clutched more firmly to her hand and pouted up at her; probably sensing the older girl's reluctance and refusing to stay behind.

"Okay midget, you can come," Sarah relented with a resigned sigh, secretly thrilled that Alys was so desperate to stay close to her. It was a feeling she could relate to perfectly. "You can help me get rid of this awful braid; I haven't been able to blink for days," Sarah quipped, succeeding in making the small blonde laugh.

"It doesn't really suit you," Alys scrunched her nose in disapproval as she observed Sarah. "But stop calling me midget, I already told you, _many times_, that I don't like it," she complained, pinching the brunette's thigh for good measure and grinning when the other girl yelped.

"Whatever you say midget," Sarah agreed making Alys huff. "We'll be right back, okay?" the Mord'Sith called over her shoulder while looking pointedly at Cara and smiled as the elder Mord'Sith looked behind her in confusion, to make sure that the girl was actually addressing her as she asked for permission.

"Don't go too far," Kahlan advised, not containing her smile as she noticed Cara's uneasiness about the way Sarah had addressed her.

"Yes mommy," Alys promised as she skipped away happily next to the brunette Mord'Sith.

"Now that was unexpected," Zedd exclaimed and let out a low whistle. He observed his remaining companions, noticing how Cara was still looking at the place where the two girls had disappeared with a preoccupied expression. Out of them all, she was the one that was probably the most shocked, and rightly so. Yet, Kahlan was more obviously displaying her agitation, causing Zedd to reconsider as he watched the Confessor nervously squeezing her hands together while staring at the distracted Cara. Zedd sighed as he imagined what must be passing through the brunette's mind.

"It was," Richard agreed with his grandfather. "But there's no denying it, you just have to take a look at Sarah to see whose daughter she is. The resemblance between them is remarkable," he noted with a smirk, nodding his head at Kahlan as the brunette turned to look at him with narrowed eyes. The happy tone on the Seeker's voice sounded odd to Kahlan and the smirk on his face also felt somewhat out of place giving the situation. She sighed tiredly and opted to ignore that; she had already a lot on her mind right now.

Like the Confessor, Zedd also noticed the chipper attitude from Richard. The wizard pursed his lips as he worriedly watched his grandson walk towards the horses, the Seeker's shoulders seemed to lack the weight that which had rested there for the last week. Zedd hoped, for the boy's sake, that Richard didn't assume that this meant that Cara and Kahlan wouldn't last long together. If the irritated pair of green eyes that Zedd could see glaring at Richard's back in suspicion was any indication, any comment that insinuated such a thing would not be tolerated.

"I'll burn these bodies before they have a chance to come back," Zedd suggested, receiving a nod from Kahlan and a blank stare from Cara.

"Since we have four horses now, we should press on to the next town and stay at the inn; no need to unnecessarily spend the night in the open," Richard called out to the others, squinting her eyes at the brightness of his grandfather's wizard's fire. "Zedd and I should scout ahead to make sure there's no more surprises," Richard suggested and looked at both women. "Will you two be okay here waiting for the girls?" he asked worriedly and after receiving an affirmative nod from Kahlan, mounted one of the horses and waited for Zedd.

"At least the Mord'Sith came bearing gifts," the wizard lightly joked, managing to pull a small smile from Kahlan as he finished his previous task and followed his grandson, taking another horse.

After Richard and Zedd had taken off, Kahlan picked up her pack and stared at it with a distant, worried expression. She let out a humorless chuckle as she remembered how she had asked Cara not to let her mind get lost in hypothetical scenarios and here she was, her stomach in knots at the mere thought of Cara ever leaving her.

Kahlan shivered in discomfort, her body seeming to react to her thoughts on its own, but, as if on cue, she felt a warm and gentle hand turn her around and a pair of lips crashed against her own, making her whimper in delight and relief. Kahlan clung almost desperately to Cara's body as she felt the blonde's arms encircle her firmly as those soft lips passionately assured her that Cara belonged with her.

"You do realize I'm still here, right?" Cara breathlessly whispered against Kahlan's lips. "I'm not going anywhere," she promised to the distraught Confessor and lifted one hand to catch a tear that fell from the blue eyes gazing back at her.

"I know," Kahlan whispered back and kissed the blonde's lips again as if to reassure herself. "But I admit that the reminder was very welcomed… and needed." She sighed and smiled nervously to disperse the tension she felt building up inside her. "This is a little scary," she added softly as she lowered her head, almost hoping Cara wouldn't hear.

"There are a lot of things that are scary," Cara said, lifting Kahlan's chin and looking deeply into the brunette's eyes while softly kneading the tense muscles of Kahlan's lower back with her other hand. "That doesn't mean we let them beat us," the blonde declared fiercely.

Kahlan smiled thankfully at Cara and let her forehead rest contentedly against the blonde's. The Confessor closed her eyes and let herself feel the calming warmth coming from Cara, her tension dissipating as the blonde kept massaging her lower back while tenderly nuzzling Kahlan's cheek.

"Can we just," Kahlan trailed off with a heavy exhale, letting her body rest more heavily against Cara's. This was all she needed right now; she just needed a little quiet time alone with Cara to calm her nerves and recharge her energy to face whatever lay ahead of them and whatever they would find about Sarah.

"For as long as you want," the blonde confirmed without needing Kahlan to finish her request. She hugged the Confessor more securely against her. Cara would never admit it, but she needed this comforting contact just as much as Kahlan did. She, too, was feeling uneasy about the implications of Sarah's existence, but she was determined to not let that interfere with her and Kahlan. She wished that the uncertain future was their only obstacle, but Richard's reaction to Sarah's appearance did nothing to assuage her worry that he…. The Mord'Sith let out a deep sigh when she felt Kahlan's hands bury through her hair gently while Kahlan moved her head to whisper a '_thank you_' in the blonde's ear, making Cara smile and hug the brunette even closer to her.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hey guys! So here is the next chapter! :D Initially this was two different chapters, but since I have them both I decided to post everything in one big chapter. Again, I apolagize for the delay, but as I explained techical problems got in the way. Everything is fixed now. I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter ;) and let me know what you though of it :) **

Chapter 16

Kahlan sighed and buried her head deeper into the crook of Cara's neck. The blonde continued to hold her, keeping Kahlan encircled within her arms as she tried to give the Confessor all the comfort she needed. Kahlan smiled at Cara's attentive nature, well hidden from others, and placed a small kiss on the blonde's neck. Moving her hand from golden locks, she pressed it flat against Cara's chest; the brunette felt the wild thumping underneath her palm that betrayed Cara's anxious state. Furrowing her eyebrows in concern, Kahlan lifted her head from its warm cocoon and looked questioningly at Cara's troubled expression as the blonde looked into the distance.

"Why on earth would I allow any daughter of mine to be trained to be a Mord'Sith?" Cara whispered, sensing Kahlan's quizzical eyes on her.

"You are a Mord'Sith-"

"_That's_ the reason I wouldn't want her to be broken as well," Cara interrupted with a perplexed look on her face. Why in the name of the Creator would Kahlan think she would let her own flesh and blood go through the pain she had gone through? Yes, it had made her the strong individual she was today and she was proud of it, but, since meeting Kahlan, Cara had discovered that there were better ways to become a strong person. Those ways may involve pain, suffering and dedication, but they never required torture.

"You didn't let me finish," Kahlan said kindly, cupping Cara's cheek, stroking it with her thumb in a calming gesture. Kahlan easily understood Cara's worries. It was obvious that the blonde was taken aback by the knowledge that her own daughter might had suffered through the training she, too, had suffered. Kahlan was aware that she could only imagine the horrors that the Mord'Sith trainees had to endure, but Cara knew; Cara knew them in detail, she had experienced them and probably had inflicted the same upon other young girls. "Remember what Sarah said? She said she was born a Mord'Sith, not broken into being one," Kahlan reminded Cara, recalling what the young girl had said while fighting Garren.

"The girl was clearly taunting Garren. Making Garren believe that her skills as a Mistress weren't good enough to break her," Cara countered with a quick look at the dead Mord'Sith laying off the path behind them, where Sara had dropped her, and turned to look into Kahlan's eyes. "I know exactly how Mord'Sith are _born_, Kahlan," Cara scoffed sneeringly, looking past her Kahlan. "They're born out of pain; _unimaginable_ pain," the blonde said in a lower voice, disentangling her arms from around Kahlan and starting to turn away from the brunette. "Calling Garren's breaking 'torture' was an insult to Garren's ability to give the pain of a true breaking, nothing more."

"See, you know, better than any of us, the dynamics of the Mord'Sith." Kahlan grabbed Cara's forearms and turned the worried Mord'Sith back to face her. "So think. If it was just insults and bravado, would Sarah have been able to kill the one who was supposed to be her Mistress?"

"No, she wouldn't," Cara conceded, but, at the triumphant look on Kahlan's face, she continued. "That only means Garren wasn't able to re-brake her, it doesn't mean she wasn't broken to become a Mord'Sith in the first place."

"She said she wasn't used to be stabbed with agiels and-"

"She said she didn't _like_ it," Cara corrected, her voice rising sharply. "I don't like it either, but it doesn't mean I wasn't trained that way." the blonde crossed her arms protectively over her chest.

"_Trained_ Cara," Kahlan stressed, shaking Cara a little by her arms in an effort to make the blonde pay more attention to her words. "You say trained, but Sarah said tortured," the Confessor clarified. Kahlan sighed when Cara just rolled her eyes and looked at the tree line once again.

"Ask her," Kahlan quietly suggested, watching as Cara stared pensively at the trees. "Ask her how she became a Mord'Sith," Kahlan repeated when Cara met her eyes, already shaking her head.

"Kahlan, I know exac-"

"Just ask her," Kahlan insisted, breathing a sigh of relieve when Cara lowered her head in a sign of agreement.

"Zedd!" Alys shouted as she came running out of the trees, startling both women.

"Zedd's not here sweetie, what's wrong?" Kahlan rushed towards the child, her hands leaving her dagger hilts as she noticed that Alys had tear marks on her face.

"Sarah's hurt all over," Alys explained hurriedly, pointing rapidly to various parts on her own body. "She needs Zedd to fix her," the blonde looked at her mother with a hopeful look.

"I knew it," Cara muttered, shaking her head as she turned to retrieve Kahlan's bag.

"We'll clean her wounds for now and Zedd can heal her when we catch up with him," Kahlan assured her daughter, grabbing the child's hand and walking towards Sarah, knowing that Cara would be right behind her.

* * *

They found Sarah near a small stream, painfully attempting to clean the wounds that had torn open in the fight. Cara halted to watch as Kahlan got close to the brunette Mord'Sith and retrieved a cloth from her bag. The elder Confessor helped Sarah clean her wounds, smiling encouragingly at the girl every time Sarah couldn't help but wince in pain. Alys quickly gravitated towards the teen, blowing on the brunettes wounds in a childish attempt of making them hurt less.

Cara felt for the teen; she, herself, was all too familiar with the pain Sarah must be feeling, but by the uncomfortable way she reacted to said pain it was obvious this Mord'Sith was not as familiar with it as Cara would have expected. This detail made Cara think about Kahlan's theory about the girl been in fact born a Mord'Sith and not tortured into one. Standing behind Kahlan, the blonde Mord'Sith caught Sarah's green eyes and decided to do what Kahlan had suggested.

"You told Garren that you were _born_ Mord'Sith," Cara started calmly, holding Sarah's gaze with her own. "Although there's a small problem with that - it's impossible," the blonde raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Cara, maybe that conversation could wait," Kahlan hinted, turning to give a slightly reproachful look at the tensed blonde.

Cara looked stubbornly at Kahlan for a second, but after a glance at the wounded teenager and at the worried little blonde asking Kahlan what she could do to make Sarah better, Cara relented with a sigh. Looking at Sarah, Cara's jaw clenched as her mind raced with hypothetical scenarios that could lead to the girl being broken. With every different scenario, Cara's frustration at the lack of answers grew. Shifting her weight to fight the desire to pace, Cara sighed in annoyance and looked around. Noticing Alys being distracted close to the river, washing the bloodied spare cloth Kahlan had given her, Cara took the opportunity to address Sarah again.

"Who broke you, Sarah?" Cara asked in a low voice, her hand firmly clenched around her agiel.

"Cara," Kahlan turned to face the blonde Mord'Sith again, but her renewed plea was interrupted by Cara.

"I need answers, Kahlan," the blonde said hastily. "For all I know I could have broken my own daughter," she blurted out unintentionally.

"No!" Sarah quickly reassured. "You didn't do it, no one did."

"What do you mean 'no one did'?" Cara questioned.

"I can't tell you much about the future, you know that," Sarah sighed and looked at Kahlan for help.

"We know that," Kahlan quickly reassured the distressed teen. "Cara is just worried, as we all are. Having a daughter appear from the future doesn't happen every day," Kahlan tried to lighten the mood, seeing that Sarah was clearly torn between doing what Zedd had taught her to be safe and answering all the questions Cara might have for her.

"Yes, you could say it caught us by surprise," Cara agreed, looking at Sarah and pursing her lips in a small apologetic gesture. The form of Alys approaching them with a clean cloth caught her attention and another detail crossed Cara's mind. "Just tell me this, how come you know Alys so well and you didn't know that Confessor's can't read Mord'Sith," she asked, hoping that Sarah would at least answer that simpler question and inadvertently give Cara more information

Kahlan smiled when she heard Cara's question. Although she recognized the blonde's intention to try and get more information, the brunette also noticed the unconscious intent of trying to know more about the state of their relationship in the future. Despite the blonde's constant reassurance that they shouldn't worry, it was obvious to Kahlan that Cara was wondering about the various possibilities too; and that told Kahlan, once more, how much their relationship meant to Cara. Smiling to herself, Kahlan continued to clean Sarah's wounds as she heard the young brunette's reply to Cara.

"Because she obviously lied to me; _all_ my life I was sure that she could read me," Sarah quickly said as she pointedly looked at Kahlan, who just smiled at Sarah's frustration filled voice and continued to clean the cuts. "And now, she tells me that she can't read me?" the brunette said incredulously, noticing Alys giggling by the corner of her eye. "I never bothered to try to deceive her because I thought she would know if I lied and that would make it worse for me whenever I got caught," Sarah ranted. "And now I discover that I could have gotten away with a lot!" she finished in a huff, clearly very perturbed with this discovery.

Hearing the not so serious motives as to why Sarah was so upset with the fact that Kahlan couldn't read her and perhaps being contaminated with Alys pleased laugh, Kahlan let her own laugh get the better of her. She looked back at Cara to see the blonde fighting very hard the smile that was trying to creep on her lips.

"Oh, this is priceless," Alys said between laughs as she bent with hands on her knees trying to catch her breath.

"Did you know she couldn't read me?" the exasperated young Mord'Sith inquired, turning her head to look suspiciously at the laughing child.

"It had crossed my mind," Alys sheepishly admitted. "But I didn't know for sure. _I_ can't read you, but she's the Mother Confessor, her power is way bigger than mine is, so I assumed that she was able to read you," Alys explained with an unconcerned shrug.

"That's what I thought too," Sarah huffed, throwing her arms up in frustration and wincing at the pain the movement caused. "I never thought she'd _lie_ about it; I always assumed she could do it," Sarah sighed in defeat, clearly not liking this new found inability of Kahlan's.

"I'm sorry," Kahlan apologized sarcastically with a slight chuckle. She couldn't help but find Sarah's outburst funny and endearing. The brunette girl was noticeably upset with the notion that Kahlan's future self had managed to fool her for so long. Kahlan, herself, was uncertain how she had gotten away with it for so long, perhaps because she already knew she could? The Confessor sent a silent apology to her future self, sensing that she probably wrecked some scheme to somehow have the young Mord'Sith controlled. But in the middle of Sarah's rant one thing was obvious, the Mord'Sith had known Kahlan; known her all her life.

"You're still worried that I was broken by the Mord'Sith, aren't you?" Sarah asked suddenly as she looked up at Cara and noticed the distant look that didn't quite match the crocked smile as the older blonde watched them from behind Kahlan.

Cara tightened her jaw and swallowed under the teen's surveying look. The empathic way in which Sarah was smiling at her and the unexpected question made her slightly nervous; the teen seemed to be very perceptive at reading her.

"It's a valid concern," Cara cleared her throat and looked around, avoiding to meet anyone's eyes as if that allowed her to hide her emotions. "I know perfectly well what being broken entails; I'm certain that I wouldn't want that to happen to my own daughter," she admitted, crossing her arms and still looking at everywhere except directly at the three people in front of her, but noticing how the two girls were almost beaming up at her.

"I know… mom," Sarah said with emotion in her voice, smiling brightly as Cara snapped her head around to look at her and the blonde's eyes widened in shock when she called her 'mom' for the first time. "You don't have to worry about it; I did train with Mord'Sith, but if they ever tried something like that on me I'm pretty sure you would have hurt them, badly," the teen said with a confident nod.

"That's something that wouldn't surprise me," Kahlan winked at Sarah and got up after finishing cleaning and bandaging the girl's wounds. Turning around to face Cara, Kahlan placed a gentle hand on the blonde's crossed arms. "Sometimes talking makes things easier," she whispered with a smile, squeezing Cara's forearm affectionately. The blonde Mord'Sith just raised an unimpressed eyebrow at her, but Kahlan could see she had internally recognized the truth of the brunette's words.

Cara watched as Kahlan knelt next to the stream and washed the blood covered cloth. She relaxed a little now that Sarah had confirmed to not being broken by the Mord'Sith, but that only seemed to assuage Cara's irrational, emotional, worry for the girl. Intellectually, the blonde was still very suspicious as to how Sarah possessed a kind of power that had only been granted by Lord Rahl, and the ability to withstand the agiels, without having gone through the intensive training of the Mord'Sith.

"It's not possible for you to have Mord'Sith magic and that kind of pain endurance if you weren't-"

"Spirits, next time you scold me for being stubborn I'll just remind you of your twenty-four year old self," Sarah laughed, standing up and reaching for the black leathers she had brought with her. "Just be a little patient, you'll figure it out in a few years," the brunette girl mocked, smirking smugly and sharing a conspiratorial wink with Alys.

"Since I'm your mother, shouldn't you show me a little more respect?" Cara admonished, squinting as she eyed Sarah reproachfully.

Sarah froze for a moment and looked apologetically at Cara. Twenty-four year old or not, those words coming from Cara triggered her conditioned response to shut up at her mother's admonishing question. Glancing up, Sarah saw a pleasantly surprise Cara smirking at the effect she had on the teen. Rolling her eyes in a fashion almost identical to Cara's one, Sarah chuckled and began to attempt to pull up her pants.

"What do you think you're doing?" Kahlan asked Sarah while she turned back towards them, shaking her head at the teen's stubborn attempts of getting into the tight leather without letting on that it was a painful task. "Take off those leathers, they will only hurt you more. I have something you can use until we get to Zedd," Kahlan kneeled in front of her pack and rummaged through it until she pulled out what she was looking for.

"That's all you have?" Sarah asked, her nose scrunched up in disapproval while she never-the-less began removing her half-secured pants.

"No, but it's the loosest piece of clothing I have and it won't hurt you as much as it would to wear the leather," Kahlan answered with a smile, amused at Sarah's obvious distaste for the green dress she hadn't used in a long time, but still kept in the bottom of her pack. She extended the dress to Sarah and had to bite her cheek to keep from laughing at the teen's hesitancy.

"Okay," Sarah relented, taking the dress from Kahlan's offering hand and nodding her thanks at the Mother Confessor. The dress would be softer on her injuries and, although Sarah didn't like it, it was a better choice than the leather. If only Alys would just shut up with the exaggerated mock-awed whispers of 'so pretty' and 'gorgeous', she could be completely thankful for Kahlan's dress. Or, she would be, if she were taller.

"Now you just have to be careful and not drag all the dead leaves on the ground with you," Cara snorted at the length of the dress and smirked at Sarah's reddening cheeks. Sarah was just a couple of inches shorter than Cara, which meant that Kahlan's dress was a little too big on the teen's frame.

"Don't you mind what she says," Kahlan said to Sarah while she tightened the leather belt around the teen's waist. "She's just jealous," Kahlan continued, glancing over her shoulder to wink at Cara. "By the looks of it I would say you're going to be taller than your mother," Kahlan stated, noticing that the girl still seemed like she wasn't done growing yet and was already almost Cara's height.

"We'll see," Sarah grinned.

"Let's get back to the horses; we have to get to Zedd before those cuts get infected," Cara ordered, giving Sarah a small smile that the teen returned.

* * *

"The D'Haran army is making camp inside the city, Mother Confessor," Raina informed as she entered the room. She bowed her head as she stopped at a respectable distance from Kahlan's Confessor chair, where the brunette sat wearing a troubled expression that seemed to have taken up permanent residence in the once relaxed features.

"Thank you, Raina," Kahlan nodded. "Please make sure to double the guard on the wall," the Mother Confessor advised. "We won't attack the Blood of the Fold, but I want the city on high alert and well protected from any surprises." Kahlan sighed tiredly and watched Raina walk out the door to follow her orders.

"We'll just stay here and do nothing?" Richard paced back and forth in front of Kahlan. "We should attack the Blood of the Fold; my army can wipe them off the face of the earth," he stated with rage, his hand grabbing the hilt of the Sword of Truth and a slit of glowing red could be seen where the blade was not fully covered by the scabbard.

"Eratos won't attack the city," Kahlan said, recalling the conversation she had had with the leader of the Blood of the Fold. "He admitted that he supports Farkas ideas of not letting my daughter succeed me, but he also said that he won't attack the city or me because he simply doesn't have to."

"He's supporting Farkas in this attempt to take you down," Richard stopped and looked pointedly at Kahlan. "Isn't that reason enough to march against him?"

"The only thing that would accomplish is a lot of unnecessary deaths," Kahlan exhaled slowly. "I have a duty to protect my people." She understood Richard's anger in the face of their impotence to actively resolve the situation and she was grateful for his concern, but, unfortunately, a war would not bring back those who she most wanted to see again next to her.

"Don't think for a second that I forgot about his crimes Richard," Kahlan gripped the arms of the chair in a vice like grip, her voice trembling with barely kept emotion and her eyes filling with unshed tears.

"Watch your words, Richard! Or you risk sending her back into the Con'Dar," Zedd hissed urgently, glancing at Kahlan to make sure the deep breaths she was taking were having the desired effect of calming the Confessor down. "Farkas is the one responsible for it, but we still don't have a way to get to him," the wizard reminded. "You're doing the right thing, Kahlan," Zedd reassured, his gaze returning to the window and focusing on the distance. "A war now would only bring death to Aydindril and it wouldn't prevent Farkas from carrying out the rest of his plan," he frowned and turned to survey his still angry grandson. "The Blood of the Fold won't attack us because they trust that Farkas will succeed in his mission."

"We have to find a way to stop that crazy wizard from killing Kahlan in the past," Richard insisted, although his voice took on a softer tone as he looked regretfully at Kahlan as the Confessor moved to join Zedd next to the window. "How come Kahlan doesn't remember what happened in the past? I'm sure she would recall being attacked by a wizard from the future," Richard pointed out, looking expectantly at Zedd and noticing Kahlan do the same.

"She might not even know the wizard was from the future. Someone must have wiped her memory for some reason," the wizard mused. "I see no other explanation for you not remembering anything, my dear," he said turning to Kahlan as the Confessor sighed in frustration.

"Then there's nothing we can do?" Kahlan asked tiredly, her hand pinching the bridge of her nose while she raked her brain once again for a way out of this predicament.

"Maybe there's something," Zedd said cryptically and looked at Kahlan. "Farkas wants the leadership of the Midlands for himself. It makes no sense for him to kill you when there are other Confessors who can take your place as Mother Confessor," seeing the understanding starting to appear in the other two faces, he continued. "I'm certain that he will let all the events that caused the death of the rest of the Confessors happen and he will travel to the time right after that; when we were looking for the Stone of Tears, before you returned to Aydindril."

"So if he is not going after you as a child, maybe our past selves will be able to stop him," Richard nodded, letting a hopeful smile soften his features. He approached Kahlan and took her hand, squeezing it in a comforting gesture.

"Let's hope so," Kahlan squeezed Richard's hand back before letting it go and turning her eyes to the army close to the city gates.

Kahlan really hoped that Zedd was right about this and that their past selves found a way to stop Farkas from achieving his goal. She just hoped that they would also find a way to bring both children back. Even if... Kahlan swallowed her sob, but she couldn't stop the tears burning as she closed her eyes.

* * *

Richard walked through the city in the direction of the inn, briefly pausing once in a while to acknowledge the gratitude of the townspeople for their Seeker. He and Zedd had pushed their mounts hard to reach the city before nightfall and had managed to arrive a little before sundown. Looking up at the orange tinted sky, he calculated that the girls would probably be arriving a little while after sunset. The smell of roasted lamb reached his nose and he smiled as, sure enough, a building close by had a sign that identified it as the inn. Zedd had left him at the stables to tend to the horses, mumbling something about securing a table as he walked briskly away. Richard only hoped he had remembered to secure rooms for them as well.

As expected, the Seeker found Zedd sitting at a table in the company of big plate of roasted lamb, as well as various fruits, cheese, bread, and what was most likely a pitcher of ale. The food was not the only company the wizard had; sitting next to him was an old man dressed in robes similar to Zedd's.

"Here's my boy," Zedd said happily, pointing with a half eaten piece of meat at the approaching Seeker. "Richard, I want you to meet Baronis, a good friend of mine and a Wizard of the Second Order," he introduced the man seated beside him to his grandson as Baronis paused, swallowed, and rose to greet the Seeker. Richard clasped Baronis forearm in greeting and took a seat at the table.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Richard smiled and helped himself of a portion of the appetizing lamb.

"The pleasure of meeting the Seeker of Truth is all mine," Baronis replied with a nod. "It gives me the opportunity to thank you in person for finally taking down that tyrant Darken Rahl," the old wizard said effusively; the way he unwittingly clenched his jaw displayed how much he had despised the man.

"Baronis had a personal grudge against Darken Rahl," Zedd supplied, glancing at his friend to make sure he wanted to share that story. After a slight nod from the other wizard Zedd continue. "He was captured by Rahl years ago and kept prisoner by the Mord'Sith for a long time, until you defeated Darken and in the midst of the commotion of the power struggle among the Mord'Sith he was able to slip free," Zedd told Richard, as Baronis nodded somberly, probably reviving those awful times.

"Why did Darken Rahl capture you?" Richard questioned curiously. "It's not like he didn't have wizards at his disposal."

"That's what I was about to tell your grandfather," Baronis said and took a healthy gulp from his cup. "He wanted my expertise with spells, so that I could try to master what his wizards had no success in achieving," at his companions inquiring gazes, Baronis continued. "Darken Rahl, using a threat against my family as persuasion, wanted me to master a spell that allowed the children of all his Mord'Sith to be born with their mother's powers."

"You wouldn't be able to spell a Mord'Sith, they would be immune to your magic," Zedd paused in his compulsive eating to muse about his friend's revelation. "Not to mention that I had never heard that such a spell even being theorized before," the wizard looked at Baronis for clarification.

"Neither did I, my old friend," Baronis shook his head. "But Darken Rahl found his father's private journals. The problem was that they weren't complete so he needed someone well versed in this field of magic to study them and figure out what was missing. Then he performed the spell himself on his Mord'Sith; they weren't immune to their master's magic," the wizard looked at Zedd's surprised face. "It looks like old Panis didn't share everything with you," he pointed out knowingly, watching as Zedd it shook his head in realization.

"So Darken wanted children to be born with Mord'Sith power to what purpose exactly? It would be easier and safer for him to break children to become Mord'Sith; that would not only give them their power but ensure their loyalty to Rahl," Richard asked with a distant look; his mind clearly was considering more than just Darken's attempts to breed an army of Mord'Sith.

"He wanted a son, who would already have inherited his magic, to also have the ability of being immune to others magic; a trait he would have gotten from a Mord'Sith mother with the help of the spell," Baronis clarified, picking up a piece of cheese to go with his bread as Richard and Zedd shared a look that silently agreed that this was certainly something Darken Rahl would attempt to do.

"That would certainly increase personal protection against magical attacks," Zedd agreed with a nod, the meat in his hand forgotten at the gravity of the prospect.

"Did you succeed? Did you manage to make the spell work?" Richard asked urgently, the cogs in his head turning rapidly.

"I think I did," Baronis said to the others astonishment. "Rahl performed the spell on a lot of Mord'Sith; the first attempts were fruitless, but then one of the children showed signs of having Mord'Sith power." He paused briefly to gulp more ale. "You see, the newborns were taken away from their mother at birth, after telling them that the baby had died, and kept hidden to see if they would eventually show any signs of power. Darken Rahl himself would torture the poor children with magical attacks to see if they would deflect them instinctively," he swallowed at horrors he had witnessed. "The poor innocents never stood a chance; they all eventually died at young age. Except for one girl; at the tender age of three she managed to deflect one of her father's attacks. The poor thing got her hands burned almost to the bone and blacked out for hours after; but she lived."

"What happened to this girl?" Richard questioned, the food completely forgotten by now as his mind conjured the image of Alys's burned hands after the child deflected Farkas attack.

"I have no idea," Baronis shrugged, fingering the lip of his cup. "Once she woke up, almost three days later, Darken Rahl sent her away to one of the Mord'Sith temples, but I know nothing more about it," he shook his head apologetically.

"Were there any more gifted children?" Zedd asked, noticing Richard's increasing state of agitation.

"Not that I know of," Baronis took a calming sip from his mug. "I do know that there were still children kept prisoners, one of them was a boy, but I don't know if any of them had any power. Or even if they survived."

"This spell only serves to put the mother's powers in the child? Whatever power the mother might have?" Richard questioned. "Or does it allow other… uncommon things," he asked vaguely, sharing a knowing look with Zedd.

"I'm not sure of what exactly you're referring too, but, from what I was allowed to see, Panis Rahl had quite an extensive collection of powerful and rare spells," Baronis recalled. "I was only allowed to have full access to the one I was using, but I remember noticing a vast number of scrolls safely guarded in the Rahl library."

"So there could be other powerful spells no one ever heard off for a long time kept in the People's Palace?" Zedd supposed and Baronis just nodded his agreement.

Sharing one more knowing look with his grandfather, Richard picked up his previously forgotten food and started to eat while letting his mind mull over the information he had. Sarah's claim that she had been born a Mord'Sith was one of the first things in his mind; perhaps the notion was not so unbelievable anymore since Baronis had confirmed its possibility. But how would Cara be able to be subject to such a spell now that Darken Rahl was dead and no normal wizard's magic could effect the Mord'Sith? Since Baronis believed in the existence of many more rare spells, could a similar spell be the source of Alys's unexpected powers? These question and many more were surely going to plague his Seeker mind until he found the answers, of that Richard was certain.

* * *

The sun had already set over a candle mark ago when they arrived at the city. Cara maneuvered the horse through the gates, which had opened welcomingly to admit the Mother Confessor. Looking to her side, Cara noticed Sarah and Alys looking curiously around the city, pointing things to each other and noticing the differences between the city now and the one they most likely knew in the future.

Stopping the horse in front of the stable, Cara let Kahlan dismount first before doing so herself. Cara grabbed the coin purse and beckoned the stable keeper to pay him for lodging their horses. The man refused the payment, saying that he would never charge the Mother Confessor or the Seeker for his services and opened the stable door so that they could lead the horses inside. Knowing that it was useless to argue, Cara put the coin purse back on her backpack and took the reigns to get the horse inside, closely followed by Kahlan, Alys, and Sarah, the last leading the second horse inside.

"Richard and Zedd are here," Kahlan commented, pointing to the other two black horses already inside two different stalls.

Cara just nodded and started to unload their back packs from the horse when a chuckle from Kahlan caught her attention. The Confessor was looking amusedly at the two other girls. Joining Kahlan, the blonde snorted as Alys was pulling insistently on Sarah's dress to get the older girl attention as she fired question after question about Sarah's time in the Mord'Sith temple.

"Is it true that they bath all together?" Alys asked curiously with wide eyes, her hands clutching the teens dress as the brunette girl released the saddlebags from the horse.

"What?" Sarah said perplexed, snapping her head around to look down at Alys. "How do you know about that?" she asked as her voice got an octave higher.

"I overheard Raina talking to Berdine back home," Alys answered dismissively. "So it is true, then?" she insisted, bringing the conversation to what she really wanted to know.

"Yes," Sarah confirmed reluctantly, glancing over her shoulder and noticing that Kahlan and Cara were listening to their conversation, the later with a slightly suspicious look on her face.

"And…" Alys prompted, given the young Mord'Sith's reticence in developing the topic. "Did you bath there too?" she looked up at Sarah with eyes wide with curiosity to know more about something she clearly had only heard rumors and whispered conversations about.

"I had no other choice, did I?" Sarah said defensively, now only pretending to be busy with the saddlebag so that she could avoid Alys's eyes.

"Was it weird?" Alys inquired with child like enthusiasm.

"It was very distracting…" Sarah said before she could stop herself. The teen risked another glance behind her and blushed when she caught the knowing look on Cara's face.

"Why distracting?" Alys frowned in confusion as to why would a simple bath be distracting.

"Because…. Well, you see," Sarah stuttered and shifted awkwardly, her brain failing to come up with an explanation to her previous answer that would be fit for the young girl's ears. She turned around and flushed even more as she noticed that the two women had certainly caught on to the reasons why bathing with multiple women had been so distracting for her. "It's distracting because there are a lot of them there, at the same time, in the bath, bathing and… stuff," Sarah stuttered nervously, clearing her throat and finding the ground very interesting to look at. "And I had to keep having to look over my shoulder and stay alert because I could be, uh, attacked at any moment."

"You had to keep your eyes on them," Alys said innocently, nodding.

"Yep, that was kind of inevitable," Sarah sighed and scratched her head nervously.

"It seems to me that you were the one who wanted to _attack_ them," Cara mocked with a teasing smirk, taking this opportunity to make Sarah squirm in embarrassment and receiving a slightly admonished look from Kahlan.

"Who said I didn't?" Sarah shot back with an almost identical smug expression.

"You attacked them in the bath unarmed?" Alys said incredulously. "Wasn't that a little risky?"

"Certainly more risky than they could imagine," Sarah said mysteriously. Cara frowned, her eyebrows drawing together in suspicion.

"You are so getting grounded when we get home," Alys scolded with her hands on her hips and shaking her head while she looked the other girl up and down.

"I'm surprised she's even alive to get home in the first place," Cara said pensively, approaching Sarah as she spoke. "Somehow you managed to survive Mord'Sith training, without being broken, and you played them to gain their trust," Cara paused thoughtfully. "What you did was very dangerous, but I have to admit it's pretty impressive," Cara admitted.

"You just make sure you remember you said that, okay?" Sarah pleaded Cara with a very serious face.

"She might remember it, but that won't prevent her from biting your head off," Alys said with a nod. "She will be mad beyond reason at you for pulling a stunt like that with Mord'Sith," Alys mused about what she thought Cara's reaction was going to be in the future.

"You do realize you're not helping me, right?" Sarah scowled at the child, who just grinned in turn.

"It was a very dangerous thing to do and let's not forget that you _did_ get hurt," Kahlan reminded as she walked towards Sarah. "It was also very brave," Kahlan tucked Sarah's dark hair behind the girl's ear and smiled when the teen grinned proudly at her.

"Can we please find Zedd now?" Sarah asked as her smile faded. "I would love to get rid of this pain," she rolled her shoulders and pulled the dress away from her skin in order to alleviate the sting provoked by the friction of the fabric on the damaged skin.

"Go ahead while we get what we need from the saddlebags; Zedd's most definitely at the inn stuffing his face," Cara nodded in the direction of the barn door. "Take Alys with you. Do not stop until you get to the inn, don't talk to anyone, and don't attract attention yourselves," Cara advised, pinning both girls with a serious glare.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm planning on taking full advantage of walking around without being recognized by anyone," Sara laughed, taking Alys's hand. "It's very freeing," she added, receiving an effusive nod from the blonde child.

Cara watched the two girls walk out of the stable with a pensive look. While she had been listening to Alys and Sarah talk, even though the blonde child had been talking very quickly in her haste to get information out of Sarah, there was something Alys had said that had caught Cara's attention.

"Something wrong?" Kahlan asked softly, placing a hand on the small of Cara's back when she noticed the rigid stance of the blonde.

"Names," Cara simply said, turning around to face Kahlan. "Alys mentioned that she 'overheard Raina and Berdine talking back home,'" Cara emphasized the words she had heard Alys say only moments before.

"Do you know them?" Kahlan questioned, letting her hand slide from Cara's back to her leather covered stomach.

"Assuming Alys was talking about the same ones I know, they're both Mord'Sith," the blonde revealed, studying Kahlan's eyes for a reaction. "They were trained with me and we served together for many years," Cara added, watching Kahlan connect the dots in her mind.

"Looks like Aydindril will be a lot friendlier to Mord'Sith in the future," Kahlan smiled, lifting her hand to smooth the frown on Cara's face with the pad of her thumb. "What's wrong with you?" the Confessor asked, noticing Cara's tensed posture and the way she kept darting her eyes around.

"Besides the fact that apparently I have a daughter who's a Mord'Sith and that two of my former Sisters seem to be familiar with your daughter, judging by the casual way Alys mentioned them?" Cara shrugged her shoulders, somehow making the gesture look sarcastic. "What could possibly be wrong?"

"I'm sure if those Mord'Sith are in Aydindril it's because they can be trusted. I may not know what will happen, but I'm sure I would never jeopardize my daughter's safety," Kahlan said with certainty. "And if you're worried about raising a child, I think you should give more credit to yourself," the Confessor smiled tenderly and placed a soft kiss on Cara's lips. "Are you sure there's nothing else bothering you?" Kahlan prompted softly, searching the green eyes.

Kahlan suspected that there was something else bothering Cara. The blonde was right, she did have a lot to be worried about and Kahlan, herself, was worried too, but this seemed to be something more.

Cara looked startled. She quickly hid it beneath a mask of indifference, but not quickly enough for Kahlan to miss it.

"No, I'm fine," Cara shrugged, avoiding Kahlan's gaze. "But you just wait; I'm sure we'll end up finding more things that are _wrong_," Cara snorted, sidestepping Kahlan and walking back towards the horses.

"Cara," Kahlan caught the blonde's wrist before she got out of her reach. "You know you can tell me anything, right?" Kahlan assured gently, not fooled by Cara's attempt at dismissing both what was bothering her and Kahlan's concern.

"It's nothing important," Cara shrugged, catching Kahlan's hand and pulling the Confessor into her arms. "Just something Sarah made me remember from a long time ago," she sighed and smiled faintly at Kahlan, silently grateful for the Confessor's patience with her.

Kahlan nodded in acknowledgment and kissed the blonde's lips tenderly, lingering when Cara's arms closed around her waist to bring her closer. Although she wanted to, Kahlan knew better than to insist with Cara; she would have to wait until the Mord'Sith was ready. Relaxing into the other woman as Cara's arms snaked around her back, Kahlan had to marvel at the progresses of Cara's capability to share emotions. If they had had this conversation months ago, the closed off Mord'Sith would have never even admitted to her that something was bothering her. Now, Kahlan had to respect the other woman's slow pace; she would push the issue again, just not now.

"I felt bad for Sarah," Kahlan chuckled after ending their kiss with a final soft peck and pulling away. "The poor thing was so uncomfortable while talking about the baths at the temple," shaking her head in amusement, Kahlan circled Cara and went back to inspecting the saddlebags.

"She was right," Cara said, approaching Kahlan from behind and moving her lips to whisper in the Confessor's ear. "Bathing in a Mord'Sith temple can be very distracting," she said in a seductive tone, noticing pleased how Kahlan's breath caught.

"How could a bath be distracting?" Kahlan asked, feigning ignorance. She knew very well what happened in those baths, but she was enjoying Cara's playfully seductive game.

"Maybe it's the water," Cara started nonchalantly. "The feeling of warm water surrounding you," she said huskily, while moving her hands to flatten against Kahlan's lower back and then sliding them slowly around the Confessor's waist to hug the brunette's body against her own, molding her front to Kahlan's back. "Or the hot steam rising around you; making your sight blurred and your breath heavy," she breathed a puff of hot air on Kahlan's exposed neck, watching with a smirk as goosebumps erupted on the soft and creamy skin.

Kahlan gasped and pressed back against Cara's firm body; the blonde's words were having a hypnotizing effect on her senses. She gripped the flap of the saddlebag tightly, struggling to keep her knees from buckling as her body seemed to react to Cara's words as if she was caught in the sensations the Mord'Sith was describing. As her breathing grew heavier, Kahlan blinked in an effort to get out of the haze Cara was inducing, but her resolve quickly faded when the blonde nibbled teasingly on her earlobe.

"Or maybe it has something to do with the warm wetness on your skin," Cara continued her musings and licked a wet path up the side of Kahlan's neck. "It makes your body shiver with the smallest of breezes," Cara whispered hotly, blowing her own breath against the wet trail she left on Kahlan's sensitive skin and hearing the Confessor whimper and tremble in her arms. "Do you think that could be it?" Cara asked, scraping her teeth on the juncture of the brunette's neck and shoulder and making Kahlan release a strangled moan.

"I think the main distraction is the company," Kahlan breathed with a smile, her body sinking back perfectly into Cara's. "Mord'Sith can be very distracting when they want," the brunette said huskily, turning her head to meet Cara's parted lips with her own in a hungry kiss.

Cara kept one arm around Kahlan's waist, holding the brunette up, and moved the other to cup the Confessor's cheek and encourage her to deepen the kiss. She felt Kahlan's fingers tangle in her blonde hair while the other hand moved to press onto the back of Cara's; still firmly resting on the Confessor's stomach.

"Let's continue this discussion in our room, after dinner," Kahlan suggested with a glint in her eyes. "We better get our things and go meet the others now," she continued in between kisses as Cara seemed to be having difficulty separating her lips from Kahlan's.

"Okay," the Mord'Sith finally relented, not before sighing deeply, just to make sure that Kahlan knew she'd much rather go directly to the room that would be waiting for them at the inn. Releasing her hold on Kahlan, the blonde turned around to attend to Sarah and Alys's horse.

"Good girl," Kahlan quipped with a grin and reflexively side stepped Cara's hand as the blonde swatted blindly back at her.

"Don't be so sure of that, Mother Confessor," Cara suggestively said over her shoulder, making sure her hungry eyes roomed up Kahlan's body and ending on the brunette's flushed cheeks; with a last wink Cara turned her attention back to the task at hand.

Kahlan couldn't have wiped the silly smile off her face if her life depended on it, but, for now, she was content to let it stay in place as she gathered her things to go meet the others at the inn.

* * *

Sarah sat at one of the inn's tables, eagerly munching on a slice of bread with cheese; the food was very appreciated after the eventful day she had had. Zedd had already done a wonderful job of healing all her wounds and she had already gone to hers and Alys's room to change from Kahlan's dress back into her better fitting black leathers.

"How are you feeling, sweetie?" Kahlan asked as she approached the table, placing a hand on Sarah's shoulder and sitting next to the teen.

"Much better now," Sarah grinned, visibly pleased with Kahlan's use of the term of endearment and moving her arms experimentally to prove the lack of pain.

"Zedd comes in handy once in a while," Cara drawled, taking a seat opposite Kahlan and smirking at Zedd's indignant expression. "Tomorrow I'll take you to a tailor to get that fixed," the blonde pointed to Sarah's shoulder where the gash from where Kahlan's dagger had cut through the leather was clearly visible.

"Okay mom," Sarah answered absentmindedly looking at her plate and missing Cara's nervous look, the elder Mord'Sith still not accustomed to being addressed like that.

"I'm sorry about that," Kahlan moved her hand to the gash on the leathers. "I thought-"

"I know, don't worry," Sarah quickly assured Kahlan with a warm smile. "Besides, I intend to take advantage of it," she shared deviously, grinning as the others laughed while Kahlan just shook her head fondly at the teen's obvious intention of holding the incident against her future self.

"Sarah was just telling us about her morphing weapons," Richard interrupted with a smile as the teen nodded. "I had never seen agiels like that," he said, looking to his left with questioning eyes, silently asking Cara for her opinion.

"Neither have I," the blonde shook her head at Richard. "Where did you get them anyway?" she directed her question to her daughter.

"They were normal agiels before," Sarah shrugged, picking up an apple. "I always loved the staff as a weapon but I like the agiels too, so Zedd combined the best of both as a birthday present," she grinned at the wizard who was smiling fondly at her.

"You're not bad with them," Cara complimented in her own way, picking up the plate with the roasted lamb and offering it to Kahlan before she served herself.

"I'm pretty good considering that I had you earlier," Sarah grinned smugly.

"You didn't _have me_," Cara raised a competitive eyebrow and stared at the still grinning green-eyed brunette. "You just managed to deliver a lucky blow," she sniffed proudly, refusing to admit that Sarah had indeed get successfully under her defenses.

"Don't be so upset mom," Sarah patted Cara's gloved hand in a playfully soothing gesture. "You'll get better," she reassured mockingly, squeezing Cara's hand for good measure.

"The nerve of the girl," Cara scoffed, sliding her hand from under Sarah's and slapped at her daughter's arm. "We'll have a sparring session tomorrow then, to see if you're as good as you claim to be," Cara promised while the laughter around the table continued. She was actually really interested to test Sarah's skills; the small demonstration she had earlier was testimony that the girl was good.

"I look forward to see you beat Cara, my child," Zedd said, now his turn to be pleased by the dirty look the blonde was shooting his way. "But for now why don't you tell us all you know about Farkas," he suggested, ending the playful banter and turning the conversation to more pressing matters.

"He wants to be Aydindril's ruler," Sarah explained, looking at Kahlan. "He tried to demand it at first, listing a series of reasons, the foremost of which was that he doesn't want a 'freak' ruling the Midlands," she sighed, trading a meaningful look with Alys and seeing the child roll her eyes in annoyance.

"Freak?" Kahlan repeated flabbergasted. "Confessors always ruled in Aydindril, I can't see why people would change their minds about my capability to be in charge of the Midlands," she shook her head is disbelief.

"Well, the problem is not so much with you, but with the next generation," Sarah clarified. "As you might have noticed already, the next generation of Confessor's have other powers beyond those of confession and reading the truth in people," she pointedly looked at Alys.

"When Farkas caught up with us days ago he attacked _me_," Kahlan informed Sarah, who narrowed her eyes deep in thought. "Why not attack Alys directly?"

"Because he wants to cut the problem from the root," Richard supposed. "By killing you, and probably your sister, before you're pregnant with Alys he makes sure no other Confessor lives. That's probably why he came back to the past, to get to you outside of the protective walls of Aydindril and when you would have no idea who he is and what his intentions are," he finished, looking around the table to see what everyone else thought about his line of thinking.

"That's sounds like something the coward would do," Sarah said through her clenched teeth. "But if you ask me, he just wants power and is using a lot of excuses to get supporters."

Kahlan pondered Richard's hypothesis and she was more than inclined to agree with him; it made perfect sense and it was a solid plan from the wizard. What he surely hadn't count on was Alys messing with his plans.

"It sounds plausible to me," Cara nodded at Kahlan. "What about any allies Farkas may have?" the blonde asked Sarah.

"The Blood of the Fold support him," Sarah said, hearing Kahlan chuckle humorlessly beside her. "I think they were preparing for a war, but it was always weird... they seemed to have been holding back for some reason."

"They could have been waiting for Farkas succeeding in his mission," Zedd joined in, pealing an apple for Alys. "The Triangle of Anuyr has a peculiar effect, it makes the past and present become linked and until the spell is ended, the future is in a state of flux, with a day in the past equaling a day in the future. So the changes that should have happened immediately after the girls disappeared, are instead happening gradually has they happen in this time."

"So, in the future, they have no idea of knowing what its happening now," Kahlan mused out loud. "And if Farkas is in a solo mission, we probably don't have to worry about the Blood of the Fold right now," she theorized, looking around the table to see nods of agreement.

"Don't worry mommy," Alys said as she got up and went to Kahlan. "We'll protect you," the little girl promised, climbing on Kahlan's lap and giving a tight hug to the older Confessor.

"Aww, sweetie, thank you," Kahlan cooed, hugging her daughter back and kissing the top of the blonde's head.

"What's wrong Sarah?" Cara questioned as she noticed the teen suddenly look down at her plate with a constricted expression.

"Nothing's wrong," the brunette Mord'Sith mumbled as she got up and stormed out of the inn.

As Sarah fled, Kahlan noticed, with concern, that there were unshed tears in the teen's eyes. The elder Confessor looked around the table meeting the confused expressions of her companions. As she let her gaze rest upon Cara, she watched as the Mord'Sith stared at the closed door, a myriad of emotions evident in her hesitation.

"Let me go see," Kahlan trailed off as Cara looked at her and nodded gratefully.

"I'll go too," Alys quickly added, getting off Kahlan's lap.

"No honey, why don't you wait here for a minute and let me talk with Sarah a little first," Kahlan proposed, looking down at the worried child.

"Come here kiddo," Cara extended an inviting hand to Alys which the girl reluctantly took and sat down next to Cara. "You better eat the apple Zedd has so masterfully carved or else he'll cry like a little girl," Cara's jab at Zedd hit both intended goals, mocking the wizard and distracting a now giggling Alys.

With a quick wink at Cara and a smile at Alys, Kahlan went after the distraught teen. Once outside the inn, the Confessor squinted in the moonlight, scanning the surroundings for Sarah. Fortunately, she spotted the girl slumped on a stone bench a couple of houses down the road and made her way quietly over.

"What's bothering you, sweetie?" Kahlan asked softly as she sat next to Sarah, hoping that the term of endearment would relax the girl and make her willing to talk to her.

"Nothing," the ten shrugged and turned away from Kahlan.

"Then why are you crying?" Kahlan insisted gently, hearing the sniffle sounds the girl was trying to keep quiet.

"I'm not," the stubborn Mord'Sith replied and Kahlan had to shake her head slightly at how much the girl resemble Cara right now.

"Sarah, please look at me," Kahlan asked, placing one hand on the teen's arm and gently turning the girl to look at her.

Pleased that Sarah didn't pose any resistance, Kahlan reached for the teen's chin to lift Sarah's eyes towards her own. Kahlan heart sunk at the tears silently falling down the girl's face. Without really noticing it, the Confessor pulled Sarah into a comforting hug; one that the teen gladly returned, soaking up every bit of comfort Kahlan had to offer.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it's going to be okay," Kahlan whispered reassuringly, but her chest grew heavy with concern as she wondered if she was inadvertently lying. "Why don't you tell me? Maybe we can help," Kahlan insisted, stroking Sarah's long dark hair.

"You will help," Sarah nodded, resting her head in the crook of Kahlan's neck. "Everything is going to be fine once Alys and I get back to the future," the teen sniffled, making no move to leave the Confessor's arms. "Everything _has _to be fine."

"Okay honey," Kahlan gave up on discovering what was making Sarah so upset. "But know that I'm here if you need to talk," Kahlan told the now calmer girl, feeling Sarah once again nod her understanding.

"Do you mind if we just stay here a little longer?" Sarah asked, lifting her head to look at Kahlan's worried eyes. "I don't want Alys to notice that I cried," the teen explained, wiping furiously at her tears as if mad that she had let them fall in the first place.

"We'll stay as long as you need," Kahlan halted Sarah's hands and substituted them with her gentler ones, wiping the tears from the girl's face. "Alys really looks up to you doesn't she?" Kahlan smiled.

"She does," Sarah nodded and sniffled. "She also worries a lot; she's still little, I don't want to burden her unnecessarily." Sarah shrugged.

"You also don't want to burden us," Kahlan stated, guessing that that was part of the reason Sarah unwilling to talk to her.

"I…" Sarah trailed off sheepishly, looking up at Kahlan and shrugging meekly, which was enough to confirm the Confessor's words. "I honestly don't want to talk about it; it will be fine, trust me," she said more firmly.

Kahlan sighed and nodded, bringing Sarah's head to rest on her shoulder once more. She had to smile at how much of Cara's selflessness she could see in Sarah's attitude. The blonde Mord'Sith also preferred to suffer in silence than to share her worries with another; even with how close they had become, it still took Kahlan some effort to get Cara to confide her troubles. Looking down at the pensive girl in her arms, Kahlan wondered again what the girl was hiding; she wished she could do more for her, but the young Mord'Sith seemed to be content with Kahlan's comforting hug alone. She guessed that, for now, it was the only thing Sarah needed.

* * *

"Cara," Richard said to get the attention of the Mord'Sith sitting next to him. "A wizard, a friend of Zedd's, was here earlier with us and he told us some interesting things," he started, noticing Cara protectively picking Alys up and sitting the girl between them, clearly so that Cara could look at him and have the girl in her line of sight too.

"Care to share," the blonde prompted carefully, noticing the wrinkles on Richard's forehead that usually meant that what he was about to say was either bad or potentially bad.

"He was Darken Rahl's prisoner for many years and the reason he was abducted was to master a spell for Darken Rahl." Richard relayed what Baronis had said to them; the familiarity he had with Cara allowed him to see the almost imperceptible apprehension form on the blonde's stoic face as he spoke. "The spell was meant to give Mord'Sith powers to the Mord'Sith's sons or daughters," he revealed, noticing how Cara's eyebrows rose in shocked recognition, confirming his suspicions.

"You know of this," Zedd stated, he too noticing how Cara went slightly pale and instinctively moved one hand to grip the comforting agiel at her waist.

"I didn't know it was for that," Cara swallowed, her eyes distant with memories. "I remember Darken Rahl spelling every Mord'Sith that got pregnant; he said it was for protection," she said, lifting a sleepy Alys to her lap because the girl was resting heavily against her side.

"He was lying," Richard spat, his eyes shining at the prospect that Cara had more information about his departed brother's plans. "He made Baronis complete a spell, the one used on the pregnant Mord'Sith. Then he imprisoned the children and tortured them with magic in the hopes they would deflect it, hence showing that the spell worked," the Seeker said angrily, but careful to not rise his voice and disturb the slumbering Alys.

Cara visibly flinched when Richard told her what had happened to those children, a reaction that didn't go unnoticed by the other two men who exchanged a worried look; Cara was not one to flinch lightly.

"Where are those kids now?" the Mord'Sith asked in a strangled voice, looking down at the sleeping child in her arms.

"Baronis said that most of them died," Zedd supplied, watching the blonde's reaction closely. "But he suspects that before he escaped, Darken Rahl still had a few surviving prisoners; the first to successfully manifest Mord'Sith magic was a girl, but one of them was a boy," Zedd concluded, frowning when Cara clenched her jaw and stared at the table with an intensity that had him half expecting to find a hole appear in the wood.

"I was also thinking about what Sarah said earlier," Richard added, he too concerned about the blonde's reaction. "She said she was born a Mord'Sith; maybe this spell was what will be used on you."

"That's a question you should ask Sarah, don't you think?" Cara said dismissively and moved to get up from the table. "Perhaps we should continue this conversation tomorrow; I'd better get Alys to bed," the Mord'Sith suggested while lifting Alys carefully, so as not to disturb her.

"Okay, we'll talk about this tomorrow," Richard assented. "I took the liberty of booking three rooms, one bedroom for the girls and one for you and Kahlan," he said not quite meeting her eyes while extending two keys to Cara.

"Thank you," Cara said simply, grabbing the keys. Richard was clearly trying to be okay with the mention of her and Kahlan in the same room, but Cara could see that the implications of it still bothered the Seeker. Nonetheless, she recognized and appreciated the effort he was making to be completely okay with the new relationship between her and the brunette. With a slight nod Zedd's way, Cara walked towards the steps that lead to the upper floor, where the rooms were located.

"I got the impression Cara knows more than she shared," Richard mused out loud while watching Cara ascended the stairs with Alys slumbering in her arms.

"Hmm," Zedd agreed wordlessly. "Whatever it is, it's most certainly a personal matter. Let Cara take her time, she would never hide important information from us," he advised.

"I know that," Richard looked back at Zedd, as if surprised his grandfather would ever consider that he thought Cara would knowingly hide something important. "I'm just worried about her; the conversation definitely triggered something," he mused, turning back to look pensively at the stairs where Cara had disappeared.

Zedd smiled at his grandson as Richard looked concernedly towards the stairs. Even if the woman had, in a way, robbed him of his loved one, Richard still cared dearly for Cara and their friendship was certainly still there. They both merely need some time to rekindle their previous bond; Zedd was sure that they would eventually get there.

* * *

Cara opened the door of what was Sarah's and Alys's bedroom and made a quick inspection of the room before entering. She didn't want to take any chances, especially when she had Alys with her. Entering and kicking the door close behind her, the older blonde placed the little girl on the bed, chuckling softly when Alys just mumbled something unintelligible and nuzzled the pillow underneath her head. Spotting the back packs next to the bed, she looked for something more comfortable that she could change Alys into. Finding the small linen shirt which the family that had helped Alys insisted the girl keep, Cara busied herself with carefully undressing the slumbering child.

"Nooo, I want to sleep more," Alys whined with a scrunched up nose and eyes tightly closed.

"Let me just change your clothes and then you can go back to sleep again," Cara pulled Alys's arm into the shirt's holes, surprising herself with the soft tone her voice took.

"'Kay mom," Alys sighed and let slumber take her again, not at all bothered by Cara man handling her.

For a second Cara shrugged off the child's words thinking it was just Alys confusing her with Kahlan, but then a detail clicked and made her stop. The memory of Sarah calling her 'mom' came to her, as well as the fact that Alys only addressed Kahlan as 'mommy'. Cara raked her brain, but she couldn't remember a single time Alys had said 'mom'. Cara's eyebrows rose as she did remember when Alys had said 'mom'; it had been after she woke up from Farkas' attack and when she said it the child had been looking at Cara.

The sound of the door opening behind her interrupted Cara's thoughts. Turning around a little distractedly, her mind still caught between what Richard had told her downstairs and what Alys had said just now, the blonde saw Sarah entering the room, followed closely by Kahlan. Looking back at the sleeping Alys, Cara decided to leave the thinking for another time; this has been a night full of new and unexpected information, she needed time to process it.

"Is she asleep?" the older brunette asked with a fond smile, looking at her daughter sprawled on the bed.

"Like a rock" Cara commented with a nod, the little blonde sure had no trouble in falling into a deep sleep.

"She's a heavy sleeper," Sarah said sitting on the other side of the bed. "She'll probably mumble a lot during the night, but she won't wake up until morning," the teen smiled slightly as she looked down at Alys.

Kahlan had brought Sarah back inside when the teen had regained her composure, but the Confessor could still see a little bit of sadness in the green eyes of the young brunette. Looking at Cara, Kahlan saw the blonde observe Sarah closely; most likely trying to assess the teen's state of mind. Sensing that Cara wanted to say something to the girl and that Sarah probably needed her mother's support too, Kahlan decided to leave them both alone.

"I'll call it a night," Kahlan said, placing a supportive hand on Cara's arm and leaning down to kiss Alys on the forehead. Going around the bed, Kahlan tucked Sarah's hair behind her ear and leaned down to place a kiss on the teen's cheek. "Have a good night, sweetie. If you need anything we're two doors down the corridor." She smiled as Sarah nodded and hugged her around the neck, kissing Kahlan's cheek in return.

"I'll be right there," Cara said, extending their room key to Kahlan. The knowing look and understanding nod the Confessor gave her as she took the key was all Cara needed to know that Kahlan was aware that she wanted to talk to Sarah.

Cara heard Kahlan close the door quietly behind her, keeping her eyes on Sarah as she waited for the girl to say something. After a few seconds, it was obvious that Sarah was perfectly content to pick at the bed's covers, so Cara rose to place Alys's dress on a nearby chair and walked slowly to stand beside Sarah.

"Do you have clothes to sleep in?" Cara asked tentatively, more to gauge the girl's mood than to know about her wardrobe.

"Yes, I have something on my pack," Sarah answered without lifting her eyes from the bed.

"I don't know if I'll get better at this," Cara started her voice soft, almost as if she were speaking to herself as she sat down next to Sarah. "I'm not very good at it now, but I'm trying." She nodded curtly once to herself and took a deep breath. "How are you? You seemed very upset downstairs," she inquired about Sarah's storming out.

"I'm okay," Sara nodded as she looked up at Cara with a smile. "I was just upset about something, but I know everything it's going to be okay once I get back to my time," she explained as Cara nodded in understanding. "Don't worry, you will," Sarah added with a smile.

"I will what?"

"Get better at this comforting thing," Sarah clarified. "Actually you're really good at it," the teen said in a nostalgic tone. "You _always_ know what to say or do to make me feel better," she sighed as she smiled at Cara. "Granted you seem a little out of sorts now," she added letting her smile change into a teasing grin.

"Do I?" Cara smirked and playfully poked Sarah's ribs, making the teen giggle. "Well, I guess I have time to learn," Cara conceded, even though she was surprised to hear Sarah describe her like that; she never thought she would ever be someone who knew how to make anyone feel better.

"You're not that different, thought," Sarah continued after a beat. "You just have your stone face on most of the time, but I can see how much you care even if you seem to make an extra effort to hide what you feel," Sarah explained with interest in her eyes.

"Are you examining me kid?" Cara drawled, feeling a little self-conscious about the sincere and caring way Sarah spoke about her.

"No, I'm just curious," Sarah chuckled. "I heard a lot of stories about how you where a little impossible when you were younger. People are always telling me how much I resemble you, especially when I'm not the role model for good behavior," Sarah said making Cara snort in amusement. "So I guess it's nice to see for myself," she shrugged.

"Hmmhmmm," Cara looked suspiciously at Sarah and smirked knowingly. "See for yourself and see if you can't hold something against me, am I right?"

"Who do you think I am?" Sarah asked mock indignant. "I would never do such a thing," she shook her head vehemently, but the mischievous glint in her eyes gave her away.

"Not buying it kid," Cara shook her head slowly, smiling lopsidedly at her daughter's cunning ways.

"Okay, maybe I'm hoping to catch something that will allow me to say '_you did the same thing_' to you," Sarah admitted. "But you're a very strict mother, I have to use all I can get," she playfully defended herself.

"I'm sure that if I'm strict it's for your own good," Cara defended her future self. She knew nothing about raising children, but by what she had seen so far she decided that her future self wasn't doing such bad job. "You sure you're okay?" she changed the topic back to what had started the conversation.

"Yes mom, don't worry," Sarah answered sincerely, smiling gratefully at Cara and throwing her arms around the blonde's neck in a tight hug. "I love you," Sarah whispered in a small voice full of emotion.

Cara's throat suddenly closed at hearing Sarah, her daughter, telling her so effortlessly that she loved her. Unable to make her voice work, the blonde opted for hugging the teen close to her, conveying in the action what she didn't have the words to express. Sarah squeezed back, as if she understood Cara's silent communication.

"Now get some sleep," Cara said quietly while Sarah pulled back from the emotional hug.

Seeing the girl nod her agreement, Cara got up and started to walk to the door but stopped and turned back to address Sarah again.

"If you need anything, we're-"

"Two rooms down the corridor, I know," Sarah repeated what Kahlan had already told her before leaving, and twice before getting to the room.

"I was just making sure," Cara said as she raised her hands in surrender.

Sarah just chuckled and waved her good night as Cara paused at the door, turning to smile and give her daughter a small wink.

* * *

Kahlan folded her clothes neatly and put them on the chair next the wall of her and Cara's bedroom. Looking down at her almost naked body, only covered by her undergarments, the brunette pursed her lips shyly and blushed in the empty room. Shaking her head at her bashfulness, Kahlan went to Cara's pack and pulled out her partner's oversized shirt. Bringing the piece of clothing to her nose, she inhaled Cara's unique scent and felt herself immediately calm down.

Putting her head and arms through the respective holes in the shirt and letting it fall the rest of the way down her body, Kahlan surveyed herself in the mirror in front of her. Granted, the oversized shirt didn't look so oversized on her; if the simple piece of clothing reached a few inches above Cara's mid thigh, when used by Kahlan the same shirt left even more skin on display. _Which isn't necessarily a bad thing_, Kahlan thought with a smirk.

Taking a deep breath, the nervous woman busied herself with lighting some candles around the room; after that was done Kahlan looked out the window restlessly. Turning to the inside of the room again, the Confessor went to lean on the surprisingly large chest of drawers, but quickly shook her head and changed her position to be sitting in the middle of the bed. Sighing in displeasure at this new position, too, Kahlan scooted towards the end of the bed and crossed her feet at the ankle, leaning back on her hands. Looking towards the door in front of her, Kahlan started to become a little impatient and she could feel her nerves rising again. Getting up and turning her back to the door as looked around the room, she jumped when the door opened.

"It's just me," Cara chuckled at Kahlan's startled jump as she closed the door. "What got you so jumpy?" the blonde asked distractedly, her eyes inevitably attracted to Kahlan's scantly clad body.

"Nothing," Kahlan replied a little too quickly, her cheeks reddening slightly. "Everything okay?" she probed gently, paying close attention to Cara's eyes.

"I guess," Cara shrugged halfheartedly, walking closer to Kahlan. "I suppose Sarah didn't tell you what was bothering her?" she half-asked half-stated, taking Kahlan's sigh as a confirmation that Cara's daughter hadn't shared her thoughts with Kahlan either.

"I tried to get her to tell me, but she was adamant about not wanting to," Kahlan said, hooking her fingers on Cara's belt and moving the other hand to caress the blonde's shoulder.

"She wouldn't tell me either," Cara shook her head, lifting her hand to cover the one on her shoulder. "It's kind of annoying," she commented in an after thought, scrunching her face in frustration.

"It's manageable," Kahlan breathed out with an amused smile, she had to make an effort not to laugh at the irony of Cara being annoyed by Sarah not sharing her thoughts; especially since the blonde seemed to not notice that particular similarity between herself and her daughter.

"Let's leave all that for tomorrow," Cara sighed, wanting to clean her mind of all the things that were plaguing her and wanting to revel in being here alone with Kahlan... who she noticed had a nervous energy around her. "Now, why don't you tell me what you were doing before I came in?" she coaxed suspiciously, smirking when Kahlan blushed again.

"I was just getting ready for bed," the Confessor whispered with a smile, moving her arms to encircle Cara's neck and bring the Mord'Sith closer to her.

"I see you made yourself comfortable," Cara smiled appreciatively, looking down Kahlan's body and trailing a finger down Kahlan's cleavage until she hooked it in the shirt's low neckline.

"I took the liberty of using your shirt," Kahlan scraped the nape of Cara's neck with her nails, her breath already starting to become heavier due to the gloved hand that descended slowly down her spine to rest on her backside. "You don't mind, do you?" the brunette whispered on Cara's ear, smiling when she felt the Mord'Sith shudder.

Cara moved her head to meet Kahlan's eyes, letting her lips trail lightly across the brunette's cheek and pulling away just as she grazed the corner of Kahlan's mouth. The blonde looked into Kahlan's eyes with a sensual smirk and pulled on the fabric still trapped by her finger. Lowering her head to soft skin, Cara made Kahlan hiss with the hot kiss she placed in between the brunette's breasts. She was sure Kahlan understood that she didn't mind her stealing her clothes; she didn't mind at all.

Kahlan arched her back, tipping her head back, and making more room for Cara's mouth as the Mord'Sith bathed her throat with kisses. Kahlan sighed in pleasure as the blonde reached her earlobe, nibbling and biting gently on the soft flesh. Cara licked her way across Kahlan's jaw line and finally captured the Confessor's parted lips in a passionate kiss.

Moaning as Cara's tongue reached out for her own, Kahlan wrapped her arms around Cara's neck as she felt her knees becoming weak with the pleasurable sensations the blonde's lips and tongue were awakening in her. As if on cue, Kahlan abstractedly felt the bed against the back of her legs. Cara stepped forward, forcing her to sink back onto the mattress as Cara followed her down without breaking their feverish kiss. Cara's body pressed heavily against Kahlan's own, making her moan loudly as the blonde grasped the back of her thigh and urged Kahlan to bring her leg over the Mord'Sith's hip.

Cara ended the kiss with a gasp, pulling air into her lungs even as she moved to kiss the spot right below Kahlan's ear and sucking until she felt the brunette arch her back. Feeling Kahlan tug at the laces on her back, Cara placed one more heated kiss on Kahlan's lips before pulling back slightly, climbing onto the bed to straddle Kahlan's thighs and pulled her gloves off with her teeth as she did so.

"Let me get you more comfortable too," Kahlan said breathlessly as she sat up with Cara on her lap and started unlacing the upper part of Cara's uniform, placing hungry open mouthed kisses on the expanse of bare skin before her face as her fingers worked. After peeling off Cara's leather, Kahlan wasted no time in latching her greedy mouth onto an already hard nipple. The brunette brought her hand up to fondle Cara's neglected breast as she bit on the stiffened pebble, encouraged by Cara's hands tangled on her hair and the deep moans leaving the Mord'Sith's mouth.

Cara started to move her hips in a grinding motion, not being able to stop the instinctive movement. All she could concentrate on was Kahlan's capable hands and mouth trading places between her breasts. Frustrated by her leather pants not letting her feel Kahlan's soft skin, the Mord'Sith stood up on the mattress. As she rose, Cara caught the hem of Kahlan's shirt and brought the fabric along with her, with help from Kahlan, leaving the Confessor only in her undergarments and looking up at Cara with hooded eyes.

The blonde forgot why she got up in the first place as she looked down at the beautiful body sitting at her feet. Without taking her eyes off of Cara's, Kahlan closed her hands around the blonde's ankles and started to move them upwards, alternating the pads of her fingers with the blunt scratch of her nails. Finally getting out of her haze, the blonde fumbled with the buckles of her belt. As she felt Kahlan's warm hands stroking her inner thighs, Cara unlocked her belt and looked around the room for a place to throw her agiels.

The weapons ended up dropping from her hand, unceremoniously hitting the floor, when Cara felt a firm and arousing pressure of fingers against her crotch. Looking down, the Mord'Sith moaned at the sight of Kahlan on her knees, looking up at her sensually and running the pads of her thumbs along Cara's mound. Kahlan pressed just hard enough to make her touch be felt beneath the thick leather and grinned when she saw the pure lust in Cara's eyes. Cara had never seen Kahlan be so forward and sexually confident before, it was driving her crazy with desire.

Moving her hands to the hem of Cara's pants, Kahlan unlaced the few laces there and pulled them down. She grabbed Cara's hips steadily and lavished the blonde's stomach with her lips and tongue.

Steadying herself on Kahlan's shoulders, Cara tried to get rid of the pants polling at her feet; but noticing that she still had her boots on she groaned in frustration, making Kahlan chuckle amusedly. Moving to sit down on the edge of the mattress, Cara got rid of her boots and pants. Before she could turn around, long arms encircled her neck from behind and a warm body rested snuggly against her back.

"I love you," Kahlan whispered a she buried her face in Cara's hair and inhaled the blonde's scent.

Cara closed her eyes and let a smile appear on her lips as she heard Kahlan's loving words. It still amazed her how the brunette could influence her emotions so much and with such ease. All it took was a look from Kahlan to calm Cara's fears; all it took was a touch from Kahlan to reassure the blonde that whatever happened Kahlan was there for her; all it took were three simple words to make Cara want to shout at the top of her lungs that she loved Kahlan too and yet she was rendered speechless by Kahlan's caring tone.

Taking a deep breath, Cara lifted Kahlan's hand and laced their fingers together as she placed a tender kiss in the back of the brunette's hand. Catching Kahlan's other hand with her free one, Cara pulled Kahlan's arms more tightly around herself and rested her head on the brunette's shoulder. Shifting slightly to look at the blue eyes she loved, Cara just stared at Kahlan as she conveyed in one unguarded look all the love she felt for the brunette.

"I know you do," Kahlan whispered lovingly, making Cara smile at her accuracy in reading the blonde's body language.

"I truly do," Cara said sincerely, turning around to push Kahlan back onto the bed.

The brunette moved up in bed to lay her head in one of the pillows and beckoned Cara with a playful finger. Cara was quick to follow Kahlan's command and straddled one of Kahlan's thighs before leaning down to kiss the Confessor once again. Without needing prompting this time, Kahlan's other leg lifted by its own accord and hooked itself over Cara's hip. Instinctively, the Mord'Sith's leg flexed so that their bodies were even closer together, grinding against one another as their tongues dueled in a deep kiss.

Desperate to feel Cara's center against hers again, Kahlan untangled her leg from around Cara and moved her hands to her own undergarments, raising her hips to push them down. Feeling her body being lifted by Kahlan's, the blonde looked down and quickly aided the brunette in get rid of the unwanted clothes. After doing the same with her own undergarments, she noticed Kahlan part her legs invitingly in a not so subtle hint. Cara looked at the flushed Confessor and smirked seductively. The Mord'Sith moved to hover over Kahlan, but when she was about to kiss Kahlan's lips she pulled back quickly, eliciting a complaining groan from Kahlan.

Instead of lying on top of Kahlan as she was sure the brunette wanted, Cara teasingly let her body hover just high enough so that Kahlan could feel the heat of her skin but not her touch. Frustrated, Kahlan used her arms around the blonde's back to pull her down; however to her distaste, the Mord'Sith's strong arms stubbornly didn't budge.

Before Kahlan could make her displeasure known verbally, Cara lowered her mouth to Kahlan's nipple and started to suck and lick the hard pebble thoroughly. Kahlan moaned at the pleasant sensation and breathed out in relief as Cara's warm body finally come to rest on her own. Cara moaned around the brunette's nipple as she felt the warm wetness of Kahlan's sex on her stomach. The vibration's Cara's moan send through her breast, made Kahlan's hips buckle in search of the desired friction. Cara flexed her stomach muscles and pressed down, giving Kahlan what she was seeking, and switched her mouth to the other breast, biting softly on the rose bud.

Letting her body slide down the brunette's, Cara caressed the soft skin of Kahlan's stomach with her fingers and trailed a path of open mouthed kisses down the firm abdomen. Kahlan interlaced her fingers in blonde hair as she undulated under the expert ministrations, moaning with complete abandon.

Kahlan's primal reactions to her caresses were driving Cara wild. The amount of wetness she could feel on her abdomen told her that Kahlan was equally aroused; that knowledge only made Cara bolder, so she moved her mouth even lower and sucked on the tender skin on the juncture between Kahlan's leg and body. Kahlan hissed in pleasure at Cara's hot mouth and looked down to meet green eyes looking hungrily back at her.

Being that close to Kahlan's center, Cara could smell the brunette's arousal and she could barely contain herself. Looking up into hooded blue eyes, Cara wasted no time and closed her lips around the brunette's engorged clit. Kahlan's head dropped back against the pillow as she let out a keening sound and arched her back off the bed. Placing her hand on the brunette's hips to keep her still, Cara eagerly lapped the wetness in Kahlan's sex, licking the wet folds and flicking her tongue slowly over the sensitive bud.

"Cara," Kahlan breathed out as a shiver shook her body when Cara circled her entrance with her tongue and pushed in unhurriedly, little by little.

Cara dug her blunt nails into Kahlan's hips and moaned at the feeling of the brunette around her tongue. Wanting to stay there for as long as she could, the blonde looked up to see if this was becoming too much for Kahlan. The gasping breaths coming from Kahlan, as well as the clenching hand on her hair, warned Cara that this was probably getting a little out of hand. Slowly she slid her tongue out from Kahlan's wetness and placed a final kiss on Kahlan's inner thigh, regretfully sitting up so she was kneeling between Kahlan's legs.

"Maybe it's better if I go sleep in the girls' bedroom," Cara said only half-teasing, sighing frustratingly as she could still taste Kahlan on her lips.

"Come here," Kahlan whispered with a smile. "Come here, Cara," she repeated and extended her hand when she saw the blonde start to protest.

The Mord'Sith did as she was told and lied down on top of Kahlan, using her forearms to support herself. Kahlan just combed her fingers soothingly through the blonde's hair and amused herself by watching Cara's pensive face.

"Kahlan, I have to tell you something," Cara said with a somber tone, looking deep into blue eyes. "If I don't die from confession, I think I'll die from frustration anyway," she revealed with a serious face.

Kahlan laughed at the petulant pout that graced the other woman's lips and lifted her head to kiss it away. Pulling away from the kiss, Cara looked down and saw an expression on Kahlan's face she couldn't quite interpret.

"What?" Cara asked suspiciously. Kahlan was not behaving as she normally did when faced with their impossibility to have sex.

"I want you Cara," Kahlan whispered, cupping Cara's cheek tenderly.

"I want you too," Cara replied, reinforcing her words with a kiss. "But-"

"Give me your hand," Kahlan interrupted with a secret smile. At Cara's doubtful expression, she insisted. "Spirits Cara, just give me your hand or don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do," the Mord'Sith replied readily and laced her fingers together with Kahlan's.

"Now kiss me," Kahlan demanded softly, the secretive smile only growing as Cara lowered her lips onto Kahlan's without hesitation.

Kahlan brought their joined hands to rest on the mattress, her other cupping Cara's neck and tugging her closer to deepen the kiss. As the passionate kiss progressed heatedly, Kahlan slowly slide the back of her hand upwards, dragging Cara's with hers. Pleased that the Mord'Sith seemed to not be paying much attention to the sneaky movement and instead was concentrated on exploring Kahlan's mouth, the Confessor pushed their hands beneath the pillow and waited until Cara finally caught up with her movements.

Feeling something cold suddenly hit her hand, Cara slowed the kiss and focused her attention on the hand still laced with Kahlan's. Extending her fingers, the Mord'Sith felt what seemed like to be something made of steal beneath the pillow. The first though crossing her mind was that it was one of Kahlan's daggers, but as the Confessor released her hand and maneuvered it so that Cara grabbed the foreign object, the blonde noticed that it was not a dagger. Pulling away from Kahlan, Cara closed her fingers around an arch of some kind and pulled it from beneath the pillow.

"It's a Rada'Han," the blonde whispered with wide eyes, looking from the magical object to the blush staining Kahlan's cheeks.

Kahlan just nodded and smiled at the surprised look on Cara's face. The woman examined the metal collar as if not believing what she had in her hands. Finally, Cara locked eyes with Kahlan and the brunette could feel the heat in her cheeks increase.

"Where did you get this?" Cara asked as a small smile was creeping onto her lips.

"I found it in the saddlebags of one of the horses," Kahlan revealed, shifting her eyes to look timidly away from Cara. "The Mord'Sith must have brought it to put it on Alys," the brunette supposed, glancing up into Cara's amused grin.

"Why so shy all of a sudden Mother Confessor?" Cara teased as she kissed Kahlan's red cheeks.

"I'm not shy," Kahlan denied weakly, making Cara chuckle dubiously. "I'm just… overwhelmed I guess." Kahlan sighed with an embarrassed smile. "I've never…" she trailed off as her cheeks flushed even more, but her eyes never left Cara's soothing gaze.

"I know," Cara reassured the nervous Confessor and leaned down for a gentle kiss. "Are you sure you want to do this?" Cara asked as she put some distance between them so she could see Kahlan's eyes.

"I've been wanted to do this with you sinc-"

"No, Kahlan," Cara interrupted. "I mean this," she pointedly looked at the Rada'Han. "Binding your power," she clarified in a serious tone.

Kahlan had to smile at Cara's care when it came to her. Even after admitting just moments ago that she was close to dying of sexual frustration, Cara's first thought was about Kahlan's comfort.

"I'm more than sure," Kahlan assured and brought their lips together.

Feeling the bottled up desire rush through her veins, Cara let go of the Rada'Han and cupped Kahlan's still flushed cheeks while kissing her deeply. Feeling the brunette's knee raise between her legs, Cara moaned into the kiss at the pressure of Kahlan's muscles against her center. She let her hand explore the side of Kahlan's body as she ground herself down against the brunette's thigh.

Kahlan let herself get lost in the kiss, relieved that she wouldn't have to hold back anymore. The heat and wetness she could feel in her thigh only served to excite her further; she rolled them over, pinning Cara on her back in a surge of desire. Grinning at the surprised gasp leaving the blonde's mouth, Kahlan trailed a wet path of kisses down Cara's throat, marveling at the rapid pulse she could feel beneath her lips.

With their legs intertwined, Cara copied the brunette's previous move and bent her knee so she could provide the woman on top of her with the friction she knew Kahlan craved. Cara was rewarded with a whimper and a bite to the base of her neck. Closing her eyes tightly in pleasure, the Mord'Sith took hold of Kahlan's waist to aid the brunette in her undulating movements. Her eyes flew open again in confusion when the warmth of Kahlan's body suddenly disappeared.

Kahlan sat up panting heavily and straddled the blonde's hips. She looked at Cara's golden skin, illuminated by the candle flickering on their bedside table and traced the shifting shadows on the blonde's toned body with her fingers. Lifting her eyes back to Cara's lust filled ones; Kahlan shuddered at the intense gaze and broke the contact to reach for the discarded Rada'Han on the bed. Opening it with the key that had been waiting on the side-table, Kahlan brought the silver circle to her neck, but before she could snap the latch close Cara used her strong stomach muscles to sat up and grab the brunette's hands.

"Wait," Cara whispered breathlessly. "Don't do it yet," she took the magical object from Kahlan's shaking fingers and put it back down on the mattress.

"Cara please, don't play with the fire," Kahlan pleaded, reaching her hand to take the Rada'Han, but Cara stopped her again.

"That's not what this is about," Cara assured, meeting blue eyes. "I just want you to have that on you as little as possible," she said softly, latching her lips to Kahlan's neck and smiling when she felt Kahlan relax again in her arms.

Kahlan felt a surge of emotion invade her; she didn't want to risk anything, but she couldn't help but melt a little at Cara's obvious intent of having her wear the oppressing Rada'Han for as short a time as possible. Holding onto a tanned shoulder with one hand and sliding the other in golden locks, Kahlan let herself enjoy completely the amorous attention she was being given.

Cara supported Kahlan with one arm around the brunette's lower back and moved the other one to caress the soft skin of the brunette's stomach. Moving her hand upwards, the blond cupped a heavy mound and captured a hard nipple between her thumb and forefinger, rolling it teasingly and hearing Kahlan whimper and moan at the sensation.

Kahlan unconsciously started to grind her hips against Cara's lap, blindly searching for friction as Cara licked around her other breast. The brunette dug her nails on Cara's shoulder as she felt a hand descend along her body until it reached her wet folds. With a desperate moan, Kahlan canted her hips to meet Cara's hand and breathed out when the blonde cupped her sex, letting her fingers trail slowly along her folds.

Cara hugged the shivering woman in her lap closer when she felt the heat radiating in the palm of her hand. Kahlan was so wet that her juices coated the blonde's fingers in a couple of strokes. Sucking on Kahlan's nipple, Cara brought her fingers to circle around the brunette's clit.

"Oh Cara," Kahlan let out in a breathy moan, holding onto Cara's shoulder and neck as she arched her back; pushing her breast further into the blonde's mouth and grinding her center more firmly against Cara's fingers.

With a wet sound, Cara released Kahlan's nipple and observed the expression of pure pleasure on the other woman's face, feeling her own heart flutter as she drank in the sight. Kahlan had her eyes tightly closed and was biting her lower lip as Cara increased the speed of her circling fingers. When Kahlan straightened herself again and opened her eyes to look directly at Cara, the blonde's breath caught in her throat at the lustful look on Kahlan's dark blue eyes. Without breaking the intense eye contact, Cara moved her fingers lower and carefully entered Kahlan with one finger; watching as the brunette's mouth opened in a silent gasp.

Feeling Cara's finger slowly penetrated her, Kahlan let her body gradually relax around it and let out a sigh when the digit went inside completely. Staring deeply into green orbs, Kahlan instinctually started to move her body against Cara's finger, moaning at the intense pleasure it caused her. She smiled at Cara's astonished expression and brought her lips down to meet the blonde's in a lingering kiss.

Cara opened her mouth to let Kahlan's tongue meet her own and ground the hilt of her hand against the brunette's clit to increase the woman's pleasure. She watched as Kahlan ended the kiss and hastily reached for the Rada'Han, clasping it securely around her neck. As soon as the Rada'Han was secure, Kahlan increase the thrusting motions of her hips, but Cara slowed their rhythm and slowly added another finger, moaning at how tight Kahlan felt around her.

Kahlan only took a few seconds to get used to this new feeling and wasted no time in resuming the motion of her hips. Resting her forehead against Cara's, Kahlan panted as Cara thrust in and out of her with increased tempo, while her clit rubbed wonderfully against the hilt of the blonde's hand.

"Oh Spirits," Kahlan gasped loudly and closed her eyes when she felt Cara curve her fingers inside her and hit a spot that made Kahlan loose all of the strength in her muscles.

"Look at me Kahlan," Cara requested, continuing her motions inside Kahlan, but no longer pulling out completely and curving her fingers in just the right manner with every thrust.

Kahlan did as asked and opened her eyes to meet the blonde's gaze. Using all her strength to push against Cara's shoulders, Kahlan forced the Mord'Sith to lie on her back while Kahlan moved fervently on her lap. Shifting so that she could lie on top of Cara and holding herself up on her forearm, the brunette moved her hand in between Cara's legs, biting her lip in anticipation as she felt how wet Cara was.

"Don't stop," Kahlan whispered wantonly in Cara's ear as the blonde got a little distracted with the tentative fingers entering her and slowed her own thrusts.

"Spirits Kahlan, you feel so good," Cara moaned as Kahlan mimicked her movements and felt the blonde's walls pull her in deeper.

If it was even possible, Kahlan felt a new surge of desire rush through her; being inside Cara was the most thrilling thing she had ever felt. As she lifted her head to look down into unfocused green eyes and panting inviting mouth, Kahlan was sure she had never seen a more beautiful sight than Cara squirming in pleasure under her.

Their rhythm increased again until they were both panting heavily and whispering each others names in gasping breaths. Kahlan could feel her orgasm building inside her, to the point that she couldn't hold it back any longer and a surge of fear passed though her eyes as she looked down at Cara, reflexive and instinctual.

"Let go," Cara said reassuringly between raged breaths; she had noticed Kahlan's brief reluctance and wanted to make sure the Confessor forgot about her fear and enjoyed this moment.

Hearing Cara's words, Kahlan felt herself loose the grip in her magic and her orgasm shook her body to the core as she opened her mouth in a silent scream. She felt her pleasure coming in long waves and fixed her gaze on Cara's eyes to make sure the vivid green never turned into black.

Cara watched, mesmerized, as the black swam around Kahlan's eyes until they were completely black. The sight was spellbinding and it only took one last thrust from Kahlan's fingers against her sweet spot to send the blonde over the edge. Clenching the bed sheets in her unoccupied fist, Cara arched her body off the bed and let out a strangled moan that sounded a lot like Kahlan's name.

Kahlan moaned at the sight and let Cara ride her orgasm until the blonde came back down on the bed. Kahlan could felt her walls clench around the Mord'Sith's slow thrusting fingers and she too gradually came down from her mind blowing orgasm.

Cara felt the aftershocks shake her body as Kahlan kept moving her fingers inside her. She let her back rest again on the mattress and looked up at Kahlan's still black eyes with a pleased smile. When she felt Kahlan's walls completely relax, she gently withdrew her coated fingers from the brunette and gasped slightly when Kahlan did the same. Unclenching the sheet, Cara cupped the back of Kahlan's neck and brought the Confessor down to a languid and sated kiss.

Ending the kiss, Kahlan looked down affectionately at Cara; her eyes returning to their usual sky blue. Cara smiled back and then frowned slightly as her eyes dropped to Kahlan's neck. Lazily, she reached for the chain containing the small key and wasted no time in opening the Rada'Han, freeing the Confessor from it and placing the appreciated object on the side-table.

"You're okay," Kahlan whispered breathlessly, caressing Cara's face with her fingers. She was still a little fearful that something might have had gone wrong, but she hadn't seen Cara's eyes turn black and the Mord'Sith was not crying in agony, so it was clear she had not been confessed.

"I'd say I'm a lot more than okay," Cara smirked knowingly and chuckled when Kahlan blushed and hide her face on the blonde's neck.

"I can't move," Kahlan giggled tiredly, resting her head on Cara's shoulder.

"That means you're more than okay too," Cara pointed out playfully, one hand trailing random patterns on Kahlan's back and the other caressing up and down the brunette's arm.

Kahlan just nodded, a big sated grin plastered on her face. While she played absentmindedly with Cara's hair, Kahlan basked in the afterglow; she was certain that sharing this moment with Cara would always be one of the most treasured memories of her life.

"If someone would have told me years ago that my first time would be with a Mord'Sith, I would have laughed so much," Kahlan blurted out after a few moments of silent, clearly amused by her own thoughts.

"I never would have believed I would ever have a first time, least of all that it would be with a Confessor," Cara said offhandedly, although her voice was laced with meaning as she waited for Kahlan's reaction.

"Cara, come on, I know that you-" Kahlan started as she lifted her head to look at the blonde, but stopped when she saw Cara's little smile and played the blonde's words again in her head. "What do you mean by 'first time', exactly?" she questioned, suspecting that Cara didn't meant her words the same way Kahlan did.

"What could I possibly mean?" Cara raised her eyebrows in mock-confusion and flipped Kahlan on her back. "The words 'first time' stand for something that happened which had never happened before," she smirked and kissed Kahlan sweetly.

Kahlan pushed the Mord'Sith away by her shoulders and looked curiously at the woman above her. "Cara, you mean that this was the first time you _made love_ with someone, right?" Kahlan asked in a teasing manner, her grin widening when the blonde just shrugged and blushed a little as she busied herself with kissing Kahlan's lips again. "That's it, isn't it?" Kahlan said giddily against Cara's lips.

"You're talking too much," Cara complained, but Kahlan could feel the blonde's smile against her lips.

"I knew it," Kahlan said, her smile getting impossibly wider while Cara nibbled her ear. "You're a romantic at heart, aren't you?"

"I love you too," Cara opted to ignore Kahlan's question.

Kahlan sighed contently and cupped Cara's face to bring the blonde's supple lips back to her own. Opening her mouth to deepen the kiss, Kahlan moaned as Cara's tongue caressed hers in a sensuous manner. She whimpered in protest as Cara ended the kiss, but moaned again when the blonde started a kissing path down her throat, licking and nipping the pale skin.

"What are you doing Cara?" Kahlan smiled, her breathing becoming heavy again very quickly since the blonde moved lower to use her mouth on Kahlan's breasts in all the right ways.

"I just remembered I never finished what I started earlier," Cara commented dismissively, never stopping the kisses and caresses down Kahlan's body.

"What's that?" the brunette gulped and looked down expectantly to see Cara kiss down her stomach and hovering over her center.

Cara lifted her head and just smirked knowingly while she lowered herself and ran her flat tongue along the length of Kahlan's sex, pausing at the top to suck gently on the sensitive bundle of nerves. Without needing any more clarification, Kahlan shivered and smiled her approval, resting back against the pillow to enjoy the blonde's very capable mouth.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N**: Hey everyone :) Yes, I'm still alive. I'm sorry it took me all this time to post the next chapter, I hope there's still someone out there still interested in this story :) I don't have as much time to write lately because of work, but I can promise that I'll finish this story. Enjoy!

**Chapter 17**

Cara woke with the morning sun hitting her eyes and a soft touch across her skin; she looked down and saw a pale hand moving along her chest. Following the arm connected to that hand, Cara turned her head to the side and saw Kahlan smiling contently next to her, resting her head on her folded arm and following the movements of her hand.

"What are you doing?" Cara asked in a rough morning voice.

"Connecting the dots," Kahlan whispered, trailing her fingers from one freckle to the other on the blonde's body. "These always get my attention."

"The first time you did that I got a kiss," Cara hinted with a smirk.

"Are you trying to ask me something?" Kahlan grinned as she teased back.

"Do I have to ask now?" the blonde raised her eyebrows in mock surprise.

Kahlan just giggled and gave Cara a good morning kiss, a passionate good morning kiss.

Cara didn't take much time to roll the brunette onto her back and deepen the kiss, sliding her tongue into the Confessor's mouth. The brunette moaned at the contact and circled her arms around Cara's back, bringing the blonde closer to her body. The Mord'Sith broke the kiss slowly and trailed a path of open mouthed kisses down the column of the other woman's throat, making Kahlan moan breathily.

"Did you have a good night?" Cara asked smiling, never stopping her kisses over Kahlan's smooth neck.

"What do you think?" the Confessor giggled, her mind wandering to the passionate night she had spent with Cara.

"I think we both had an incredible night," the blonde whispered hotly in Kahlan's ear, making the Confessor shiver in pleasure.

"Cara…" Kahlan whispered, her tone not clear about her intention; if it was for Cara to continue or to stop.

The Mord'Sith just continued her languid kisses and caressed Kahlan's side with her warm hand. Cara smiled into Kahlan's skin when she felt the Confessor arch into her touch and caught Kahlan's lips with her own in a slow kiss.

"Cara… we have to go downstairs," Kahlan said between kisses. "Richard told me yesterday he had news he wanted to talk about before taking off," she added and got worried when she felt Cara freeze in her arms. "You know what it is?"

"He told me yesterday when you were out with Sarah," Cara sighed and placed one more kiss on Kahlan's lips. "Something about some powerful spells Darken Rahl was using on children," the blonde answered the question in Kahlan's eyes and averted her own from the Confessor's.

"What is Cara?" Kahlan asked with concern, cupping the blonde's cheek to bring the green eyes back to meet hers. "You have the same look you did yesterday in the stable," she recognized.

"Richard told me that Darken Rahl had been trying to use a spell that allowed Mord'Sith children to have their mother's abilities," Cara summarized, her eyes clouded as if she was remembering something.

"Such a spell exists?" Kahlan questioned, paying close attention to Cara's expression.

"Apparently it does," the blonde said distractedly. "And many other powerful ones according to what Richard told me."

"Maybe that's how Sarah got her powers," Kahlan hypothesized, bringing Cara's full attention back to her. "She did say she wasn't broken," Kahlan continued, watching as Cara nodded in agreement.

"Maybe I got tricked twice," Cara mumbled, once more averting her eyes from Kahlan.

"Twice?" the Confessor prompted. "What do you mean?" she asked, watching as Cara sighed heavily and paused as if gathering her own thoughts.

"I had a son," Cara revealed, and before Kahlan could interject she continued. "Years ago, I had a son with Darken Rahl," she elaborated, looking away from Kahlan in shame.

Kahlan caressed her cheek tenderly and brought Cara to a comforting kiss, smiling encouragingly when she pulled away. Cara smiled back, grateful for how well Kahlan interpreted her actions and how quick Kahlan was to reassure her.

"You must understand, by that time it was an honor for a Mord'Sith to be chosen by Lord Rahl for such a duty," Cara clarified even after Kahlan had showed her she would not judge her in any way. "He spelled me, saying that it was for protection and when I gave birth I was told the child, a boy, was dead at birth, like many other children born of Mord'Sith," she recalled.

"Cara…" Kahlan whispered reassuringly, squeezing Cara's hand and wanting nothing more than to take away the pain and sorrow she could see and recognize on Cara's face.

"Richard told me that Darken Rahl was using those kids as human experiments," the Mord'Sith said, squeezing Kahlan's hand back. "He attacked them with his magic to see if they instinctively blocked his attacks," she said as Kahlan gasped in horror. "There was a boy among those kids, alive, and I can't help but wonder…" she trailed off knowing that Kahlan would understand her train of thought.

"You can't help but wonder if he's your son," Kahlan finished with an understanding look. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"I thought he was dead," Cara shrugged. "Honestly, I had put him to the back of my mind, something I wanted to forget, but meeting Sarah made me remember and look at it with different eyes," she confessed.

"Mother's eyes," Kahlan stated, catching a lone tear with her thumb that was falling silently from Cara's eye. "Cara, if there's a spell to put a mother's power into the child-"

"Put the powers in the child, Kahlan," Cara interrupted. "Not put the child into a womb without having the right equipment," the blonde added, guessing where Kahlan's train of thought was going.

"Why are you so adamant that it's impossible?" Kahlan asked a little sadly.

"Why do you insist that we, both women, can generate a baby?" Cara counteracted in a defeated tone, watching as Kahlan covered herself with a blanket and got up from the bed to pace back and forth. "Kahlan come back to bed, I don't want to argue with you," Cara said with a sigh.

"Then why do you?" the Confessor shouted back in exasperation, turning to look at the blonde with a plea in her eyes.

"Because you insist on that crazy idea," Cara shouted back, sitting up on the bed.

"It's not crazy and you know it," Kahlan said in a suddenly quiet, stern voice. "You're just too afraid to believe something like that could happen," Kahlan said, putting her hand on her hip as if daring Cara to say she was wrong.

The Confessor expected Cara to go back to her famous 'Mord'Sith are afraid of nothing' routine, but the wounded look in Cara's eyes actually surprised Kahlan, making her almost regret her words. Almost, because sometimes Cara was just too stubborn to admit some things and it seemed like getting into a fight was the only way to get the Mord'Sith to admit them.

"Maybe my believing in miracles quota ended already," Cara let out in raspy voice filled with emotion, as she looked down at the sheets to hide her sudden vulnerable state.

"What do you mean?" Kahlan prodded, feeling her heart clench at the disturbed tone of Cara's voice.

"Maybe been given a second chance at life and having you fall in love with me were already beyond the miracles I thought the Creator would bother to bestow upon me," Cara confessed, looking at Kahlan from behind her eyelashes.

"Why would me falling in love with you be a miracle?" Kahlan asked gently, coming back to bed to sit next to Cara and take the blonde's hand comfortingly.

Kahlan understood how that could have been unexpected, given that they were supposed to be mortal enemies, but what Kahlan truly wanted to know was why Cara still though that her love for her was something that would be taken away when she least expected.

"Why?" Cara asked with a humorless chuckle. "You're a Confessor, I'm Mord'Sith; I kille-"

"I forgave you for that," Kahlan interrupted hurriedly. "Don't make that a problem Cara, because you know it's not," she refused to let the blonde bring up her sister's death as if Kahlan blamed Cara for it; the Confessor knew Cara was just a mere tool wielded by a tyrant.

Seemingly defeated by Kahlan's conviction, Cara sighed and closed her eyes tiredly. She knew her arguments were not valid, not now after what she and Kahlan had gone through, but she had to admit her lover was right; she was terrified of the possibility of having everything she wanted. How pathetic was that?

"I know, I just…" Cara trailed off, looking into Kahlan's blue eyes and losing herself there for a moment. "I'm scared of losing you," she absentmindedly confessed in a whisper, averting her eyes in embarrassment when she noticed what she had said.

Kahlan smiled at the blonde's rare show of shyness and cupped Cara's cheek, turning her head gently so that blue eyes could meet green.

"Don't be," Kahlan whispered, still smiling. "Because I don't plan to leave you, no matter who else appears from the future," she added with a light chuckle and was relieved when she heard Cara chuckle too. "What is it Cara?" Kahlan concernedly asked when she noticed the Mord'Sith tilt her head with an increasingly pensive expression.

Cara again averted her eyes from Kahlan's and looked around the room, clearly debating with herself if she should share with Kahlan what was plaguing her mind. Looking back again at Kahlan, the concerned blue eyes of the Confessor made the decision for Cara.

"It's just something I noticed yesterday," she began, still somewhat hesitant. "When I went to put Alys to bed, she called me 'mommy' and I though she had confused me with you," Cara explained, carefully observing Kahlan's reaction.

"She's a pretty heavy sleeper, that wouldn't surprise me," Kahlan replied with a fond smile.

"She is," Cara agreed. "But she never made that mistake with Richard or Zedd and yet this is the second time she has called me 'mommy'" the Mord'Sith pointed out.

Kahlan frowned as she thought back to the various times either Richard or Zedd had dealt with a sleepy Alys, and never had her daughter mistook any of them. She also recalled when Alys, in her sleepy state, had called Cara 'mommy'. Maybe they were assuming Alys was confusing Cara with Kahlan, when actually the little girl's sleepy state was allowing the truth to slip from her mouth.

"It's not a crazy idea, Cara," Kahlan shook her head and intertwined her fingers with Cara's. "I think that little girl could very well be ours," the Confessor grinned widely and kissed the blonde deeply.

"Let's not jump to conclusions," Cara mumbled between kisses as she circled Kahlan's back and brought the brunette down with her onto the bed.

"Cara," Kahlan said, breaking the kiss and looking into the Mord'Sith's eyes as she pulled the sheet covering her body out of the way. "Shut up," she said playfully, making Cara smirk, and kissed Cara's lips passionately, letting their naked bodies move against each other in a dance that was becoming very familiar.

* * *

Richard was looking at Sarah and patiently waiting for an answer while he ate his breakfast at the inn table. He and Zedd had just told Sarah about the spell Darken Rahl had used on the Mord'Sith to make their children acquire their mother's power and were now waiting for what the teen knew about it.

"Look, I don't know which spell," Sarah replied, but averted her eyes to the apple she was munching on. "I just know a spell allowed me to have the power I have," she shrugged unconcernedly, peeking underneath her eyelashes at Richard and Zedd's reaction.

"Who spelled you?" Richard insisted, sensing that Sarah was, once again, holding back something from them.

"Not me," the teen shook her head and pointedly looked over Richard's shoulder.

The Seeker turned around to watch as Kahlan and Cara approached the table. As he paid more attention, he noticed that both of them looked different; it was subtle and he couldn't really pinpoint what it was, but there was definitely something different about them… as if they were at ease with something and more confident at the same time. _Is Cara smiling?_ Yes, something had happened between both women that had brought them even closer. Richard smiled softly, as he recognized that these two were made for each other and he couldn't, and wouldn't, do anything to disturb that.

"Kahlan, we were talking about-"

"Cara already filled me in about the news from Zedd's friend," Kahlan interrupted gently with a smile, looking back at Cara and unconsciously smiling wider.

"I was just asking Sarah if she got her powers from a spell," Richard informed as Kahlan ruffled Alys' hair affectionately and sat next to the grinning child. "She said Cara was spelled for her to get her powers," the Seeker explained and looked at Sarah for confirmation that the teen gave in the form of a light nod.

"So you got your powers because of a spell," Cara drawled as she sat down next to her daughter and looked at the teen with a raised eyebrow.

"That's right," Sarah confirmed, a little mischievous smirk appearing on her lips as she detected Cara's annoyance at being kept in the dark.

"You couldn't have said that to me when I asked because…," Cara prompted, a little annoyed.

"I did tell you Mord'Sith hadn't broken me," Sarah corrected in her defense. "And it was fun to know something you wanted to know," the brunette teen chuckled. "Usually it's the other way around, so I had to take advantage of the situation," she grinned and shared a wink with Alys.

"You amuse yourself with things you shouldn't," Cara admonished, not noticing Kahlan smiling in amusement while watching her.

"Yes, I have never met someone who was amused with the weirdest things," Zedd pointed out sarcastically, looking pointedly at Cara.

Cara just sighed and made sure she paid no attention to Zedd, while everyone at the table laughed lightly at the truthful remark.

"And what do you mean 'I was spelled'?" the older Mord'Sith asked, bringing everyone's attention back to Sarah. "By whom exactly?" the blonde added, gritting her teeth as her mind reminded her of a time when Darken Rahl had fooled her and spelled the unborn child on her womb.

"Richard," Sarah simply said, smiling in clear amusement at everyone's surprised expressions.

"I would never do to Cara what Darken Rahl did to all those Mord'Sith," Richard immediately protested, his angry expression turning into worry as saw Cara look down with a frown. "He did the same to you, didn't he?" the Seeker concluded after noticing Kahlan squeeze Cara's hand reassuringly across the table and recalling Cara's reaction to the news the night before.

The blonde just nodded curtly, squeezing Kahlan's hand back gratefully and releasing it to continue eating. She looked at Sarah and saw the worry and confusion in the expressive green eyes of the teen, letting her deduce that her future self had never talked about this with the young Mord'Sith. Trying to avert her daughter's questioning eyes, the blonde looked ahead only to meet a pair of small blue orbs staring at her, clearly trying to put all the information together.

"You had a baby?" Alys finally asked after a staring match of a few moments with Cara.

"At the time it was a great honor to carry Darken Rahl's child," Cara explained a little awkwardly, her voice getting unconsciously softer as she talked to the confused young Confessor. "I had a boy," she added as her voice cracked almost unnoticeably, although the foot resting reassuringly against her leg told her Kahlan had noticed.

"Then where is he?" Alys asked again, seeming to understand and not question the kind of honor Cara was talking about.

Cara sighed, the question reminding her again that she didn't know the truth about the son she thought had died at birth.

"What did your friend tell you?" Cara turned to Zedd, her voice getting firmer as her frustration gave way to anger, a well known coping mechanism.

"He didn't know for sure if the boy survived or not," Zedd replied calmly, knowing Cara well enough to know the anger wasn't directed at him.

"If he's alive we will find him Cara," Kahlan reassured with a smile as she squeezed Cara's hand again.

"He probably isn't," Cara supposed, looking into Kahlan's eyes and then turning to look at Sarah when the older Confessor frowned in confusion. "Sarah here still looks stunned by the news, so I'm guessing there are no siblings in her future," she explained, looking at Sarah and waiting for confirmation.

"No," Sarah said simply, her eyes shifting from Cara to Kahlan. "There are no brothers in my future," she added, looking back at Cara apologetically and smiling when her mother gave her a reassuring smile.

"You may be impulsive with your actions girl, in that you completely resemble your mother," Zedd started with a pensive look, bringing everyone's attention to him. "But you're careful with your words; I wonder where that trait comes from," he said with a small smile.

"I am my own person, you know?" Sarah shot back immediately, raising her chin defiantly and making the others laugh, especially Zedd.

"I guess you can talk like Cara after all," Zedd said, renewing the laughter and making the blonde Mord'Sith chuckle and roll her eyes.

"BANELINGS!" a scream sounded in the inn's tavern as a gasping man burst through the door and looked at the Seeker for help.

The laughter died quickly around the table as Richard instinctively got up and ran to the door, closely followed by Cara who was already drawing her agiels. As they got to the door, sure enough, a group of men with rotten flesh could be seen running toward the inn wearing menacing expressions.

"I guess we have company," Cara said with a smirk in anticipation of the fight.

"Alys stay here and hide," Kahlan said to the blonde girl, smiling as Alys seemed to want to protest but ended up going to hide behind the counter. "Sarah," Kahlan started, turning to look at the teen as Zedd rushed past her to meet the others outside.

"Don't even try it," Sarah interrupted quickly, drawing her own agiels and walking outside.

Kahlan followed and could hear the annoyed huff from the teen as Sarah moved to stand in front of Cara, but the older Mord'Sith pushed her behind instead.

The Confessor didn't have time to marvel at Cara's protective instincts as various banelings marched over to them with speed and murderous intent. She glanced to her right to see Cara and Sarah with such a similar stance it was endearing, and right away she was slicing banelings with her daggers in a well practiced and intricate dance.

Richard and Zedd were covering the girl's backs, but the always alert eye of the Seeker noticed that the banelings were all trying to get to Kahlan. Looking behind him, he noticed that Cara and Sarah had come to the same conclusion and all of them were now forming a protective circle around Kahlan.

"Why are they trying to get to me?" Kahlan shouted above the deafening sound of clashing weapons and screams of pain.

"They could be doing Farkas's biding," Zedd presumed as he torched a couple more banelings.

"Kill the Mother Confessor and then we'll have our lives back for good," one burly baneling shouted as he charged with brute force at Kahlan.

"I'm not going to let that happen," Sarah said through clenched teeth as she got in the baneling's way and brought him to the ground in a show of skill backed up by the power of what could only be described as pure rage.

The young Mord'Sith wasted no time in waiting for the banelings' attacks and instead engaged them with ferocious intent. Cara spared a glance at Kahlan who wore the same surprised expression at the fierce way Sarah was fighting.

As the last baneling died at the end of Sarah's agiel, all of them took a minute to look around and make sure the threat had really passed. Breathing hard form the exertion, Sarah turned away from the dead body and walked towards a worried Kahlan.

"You okay sweetie?" Kahlan asked as she cupped Sarah's cheek where blood from a small cut could be seen.

"I am," the brunette Mord'Sith reassured, brushing Kahlan's hand off gently.

"You fought really bravely," Kahlan complimented with a small smile of admiration.

"I can't let something happen to you too," Sarah whispered and looked away.

"What do you mean?" Kahlan immediately inquired.

"Nothing," the teen hurriedly replied, shrugging and addressing the whole group instead, not without glancing at the inn's door, where Alys appeared, and made sure the young Confessor was unharmed. "Seemed like these things had a target," she verbalized what was on everyone's mind, looking in disgust at the rotten bodies Zedd was busy setting on fire.

"They clearly wanted to kill you specifically," Richard said to Kahlan as he approached the two brunettes.

"The big ugly one mentioned that they would have gotten their lives for good if they had managed to kill Kahlan," Cara pointed out as she placed one hand on Alys's back to guide her towards the others. "Before Sarah shut him up pretty effectively, that is," the blonde added as she spared a complimenting look at Sarah, who looked back at her mother proudly.

"How could Farkas grant something like that? Their lives back," Kahlan wondered out loud. "Could Farkas be such a powerful wizard that he could do that?"

"Farkas probably can't, not in a permanent way, but he could have made new friends here who certainly can do that," Zedd chimed in with a knowing look.

"Darken Rahl," Richard said somberly as the others nodded in agreement.

* * *

"You failed me," Darken Rahl hissed menacingly, putting the soul of the once baneling on fire.

"I'm sorry, my Lord, we didn't stand a chance," he apologized in between screams of agony. "They bested us all in combat and that Mord'Sith looked like she was possessed, she came at us with a rage only matched by savage animals."

"I see, Cara always did have a temper," Darken Rahl agreed conversationally, renewing the flames on the dead man's absentmindedly. "And I'm sure she didn't appreciate you threatening her new lady love," he said disgustingly. "For some reason blonde Mord'Sith were always the feistiest ones," he smirked, turning away as if bored with the torture he was inflicting on the dead man's soul.

"I'm not talking about the blonde," the man corrected weakly, surrounding himself with his arms as if trying to protect himself from the flames. "I'm talking about the other one - the brunette with a rage problem."

"A brunette Mord'Sith?" Darken swiveled quickly towards the man, a threatening ball of fire forming again in his hand. "A name?"

"I heard them call her Sarah," the man quickly replied, eyeing the ball of fire with terror in his eyes.

"Sarah," Darken rolled the name on his tongue and glanced away thoughtfully. "I'm sure my new acquainted friend Farkas will like to hear this detail."

* * *

Kahlan served Alys a bowl of the hot stew Zedd had just made for dinner and smiled at the grateful blonde. Looking at the group gathered around the fire, welcoming the warmth and light, she noticed that there was still one absence.

Cara.

Looking in the direction of the trees, she could see the Mord'Sith's straight back, alert to any possible danger. Kahlan smiled tiredly and put some stew in another bowl, and with one last glance at the chatting group she approached Cara with the steaming food.

"At least eat something," Kahlan said as she offered the bowl to Cara, who smiled slightly and took it in her hands. "We haven't been attacked again since this morning, why don't you come sit by the fire and rest?" Kahlan suggested to the stubborn Mord'Sith.

"I don't want to risk it," Cara said, scanning the night around them. "That maniac of a wizard wants you dead and I'm not going to let that happen," she added, turning to look into Kahlan's eyes.

"He won't get to me," Kahlan brushed blonde locks from Cara's face tenderly. "Not when I'm surrounded by all of you," the Confessor pointedly looked at the circle of people eating and conversing around the fire.

"Okay, I'll eat this sitting down," Cara agreed after a moment, looking down doubtfully at the stew. "What weird root did the wizard put in today?" she asked with a scrunched nose.

Kahlan chuckled fondly and cupped the Mord'Sith's chin, kissing Cara's lips gently. She felt Cara's gloved hand on her waist, warm from holding the bowl. Parting her lips slightly, the brunette let her tongue tease her lover's full lips until Cara let her own tongue meet Kahlan's for a slow and sensual kiss.

After a few moments of tender reassurance, Kahlan pulled back from the kiss and rested her forehead on Cara's. Sighing with a content smile, the Confessor couldn't help but peck Cara's lips again and grinned when Cara placed a series of small kisses along her jaw.

"Let's sit with the others," Kahlan whispered, turning slightly to kiss Cara's cheek. "Alys was telling Sarah about her adventures since she got here," Kahlan chuckled, looking at her daughter and noticing that Sarah was gently scolding the little blonde about something.

"We still have to discover a few things about those two," Cara said as she too looked at the two girls bickering by the fire. "I'm getting tired of their half explanations," she drawled and placed one hand on Kahlan's lower back to gently guide the brunette towards the others.

"Maybe you could use your bluntness to ask a few questions," Kahlan suggested with a teasing glint in her eyes as she looked at Cara's smirking face. "Just don't overdo it," she added, chuckling when Cara's expression noticeably fell.

As they got close to the fire, they looked at each other and shared a knowing look as they heard Sarah bluntly ask Alys some questions, her expression resembling Cara's a lot. Sitting down side by side, both women joined Zedd and Richard in listening the conversation between the two girls.

"What were you doing in the Wizard's Keep that time of the day?" Sarah asked Alys suspiciously. "Weren't you supposed to be in the throne room, watching the Mother Confessor in her hearings and learning how to be a Confessor?" she grinned as Alys started to squirm awkwardly in her seat.

"I was in the throne room," Alys stammered, not fully meeting Sarah's eyes. "But she told me I could leave," Alys clarified, nodding in Kahlan's direction.

"She would never just let you skip the hearings," Sarah mused skeptically. "How did you get out of there, midget?" Sarah pressed with a grin, knowing that the little blonde wasn't telling her everything.

"Stop calling me that!" Alys whined and hit Sarah in the arm, making the older girl chuckle. "I just told her I had to go to the bathroom," she shrugged in fake innocence.

"So you walked all the way to the Wizard's Keep just to go to the bathroom?" Sarah said with a raised eyebrow. "You little liar," Sarah chuckled. "You're not supposed to deceive the Mother Confessor like that," she mock admonished.

"I didn't lie," Alys shook her head. "If I had lied she would have known and I wouldn't leave the room for the rest of the day," she said as her eyes widened in slight horror.

"When did you get so cunning?" Sarah nudged the blonde Confessor with her shoulder.

"From watching you do it all the time," Alys deadpanned with a shrug, effectively wiping Sarah's grin from the older girl's face and making the adults laugh.

"Clever," Cara commented. "Lying with the truth is the only way to lie to a Confessor," she added, nodding approvingly at Alys, which got her shocked looks from both girls before they burst out laughing.

"I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to encourage that type of behavior," Kahlan reprimanded Cara, but wasn't able to hide her smile as Cara actually considered this.

"Sitting hours on end while listening to people whine about anything and everything would bore me to death," the blonde Mord'Sith said with raised eyebrows. "I can't really blame Alys," she shrugged.

"I love it when you talk," Sarah grinned widely and looked at Cara with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Yep," Alys agreed, enthusiastically nodding her head. "I love the way you think," she added, giggling when she saw Cara sigh in understanding and roll her eyes.

"Something tells me you'll regret those words in the future," Kahlan told Cara and chuckled when the older blonde shot her a mock stern look.

"Anyway, I don't have to put so much trouble anymore into deceiving you," Sarah said smugly at Kahlan. "Now I can't just lie, because you can't read me," she said and looked victoriously at a frowning Alys.

"Since you both are disclosing your sneaky ways in front of me, doesn't that mean that I will remember and probably do something about it in the future?" Kahlan pointed out with a grin.

Alys's eyes widened and she quickly clamped her mouth shut with both hands, looking up at Sarah worriedly. The brunette Mord'Sith just stared at Kahlan for a moment, the cogs in her head working at full speed.

"I guess," Sarah said finally, turning to look questioningly at Zedd. "But you don't remember this, otherwise you would never let me or Alys get sucked into the past, you would have prevented it from happening," she justified her reasoning and looked back at Kahlan.

"As I explained before," Zedd chimed in. "The Triangle of Anuyr severs the space continuum, making our actions have no repercussion in the future until the time line is restored once again," he said calmly. "Until that happens, our future selves won't remember what happened here and no changes done here will happen in the future. We are as if in a limbo and I'm guessing we'll stay like that until Farkas completes his mission and get's back to the future to use the Triangle to fix the tear he made in the fabric of time."

"Either that, or," Sarah mused. "We get back to the future to a day before all of this happened; that way we avoid it and we never come here in the first place," she explained, convinced that that was the best option.

"That's impossible my child," Zedd shook his head. "That's not how the Triangle of Anuyr works; you can only travel in time in periods of years, so when you do go back to the future, the days you spent here would have passed in the future too. You'll appear in the future exactly twenty years from the day we open the portal."

"Wait, that means that whatever happened in the future since Alys and I got into the portal would still have happened?" Sarah asked nervously, her voice clearly quivering with each word and attracting worried glances from everyone. "We can't go back and erase those days?"

"The only way you could try to prevent this from happening is by going to the future one year previous to the accident and warn someone about it." The wizard theorized. "But that's a dangerous thing to do, there's no way to predict how that would interfere with the natural course of things," Zedd frowned, clearly not inclined to pursue that option.

"I don't care about the 'course of things'," Sarah said angrily, getting up from her seat and pacing back and forth as her voice got firmer from the anger building inside her. "If it's possible to do, that's what we'll do," she stated assertively.

"What does it matter anyway?" Cara interrupted, wondering why Sarah was getting so upset about this. "Isn't getting to your time the most important thing? What difference does a few weeks make?" Cara asked, standing from her seat.

"It makes all the difference," Sarah shouted back, the tears visible sliding down her face.

Cara took a few steps towards the girl and grabbed her upper arm. "Are you going to tell us why it's such a big deal?" Cara asked, a little annoyed by the girl's secrecy but also increasingly worried.

Sarah turned brusquely, shoving Cara's arm off her arm in the process, and pushed forcibly in the blonde's stomach, making Cara take a step back.

"You _died_ in my arms that day," Sarah said in a strangled whisper, tears falling freely down her face.

Cara stood looking in shock at the distressed teen. Instinctively the blonde embraced Sarah and held her daughter securely in her arms as the brunette cried. Looking back at Kahlan, the Mord'Sith could see a similar look of shock on the Confessor's eyes. Kahlan swallowed hard, Sarah's whisper being heard loud and clear in the silence of the night.

"Why did you die?" she pleaded desperately, hitting Cara on the shoulder. "Why weren't you more careful? You are always telling me to not rush into things and you just went there without thinking and let the arrows pierce you!" she cried, hitting Cara repeatedly.

"You're lying!" Alys shouted and ran towards Sarah before Kahlan could get a hold of her. "Tell me you're lying!" the blonde girl begged as sunk her fingers in the teen's leather.

"I'm so sorry, Alys," Sarah whispered, kneeling down to be at the child's eye level. "You have every right to me mad at me-"

"I am!" Alys sobbed and pushed Sarah angrily. "You hide this from me!" she shook her head; still not knowing if this was really happening or was just a really bad dream.

"Because I thought it could be fixed," Sarah justified weakly, clearly hurt by seeing Alys so upset. "I thought we could-"

"She's really…?" Alys interrupted in a strangled whisper and glanced at Cara, not able to utter the dreaded word.

Sarah just nodded slightly and opened her arms invitingly, to what the young Confessor wasted no time in falling in, sobbing painfully.

Kahlan swallowed her own tears, knowing by looking at the completely distraught girls and at a still stunned Cara that she had to be strong for them. The Confessor noticed Richard standing up to approach the girls, but she made him stop with a kind gesture and a grateful smile. Turning back to her lover, the brunette grabbed Cara's hand and squeezed it tightly, showing the blonde that she was there for her and that Cara could lean on her. After Cara had squeezed her hand back with as much force, Kahlan kissed the Mord'Sith's shoulder knowing that the blonde was not taking this news lightly.

Without letting go of Cara's hand, Kahlan rubbed Alys's back soothingly and shared a look of understanding when Sarah looked up at her. Nodding silently to the fire, Kahlan let Sarah know that they should sit and talk about what happened to Cara in the future. Knowing that the teen understood her plea, Kahlan whispered a few reassuring nothings to Alys and watched as Sarah effortlessly picked up the blonde child and carried her to sit on a log next to the fire.

"We'll hear what happened from Sarah and then find out what we can do to prevent it from happening," Kahlan told Cara in a clear but slighty shaky voice.

Cara looked into Kahlan's eyes for a moment, drawing the strength she surprised herself by needing. The thought of dying had never bothered her before; actually at times she had welcomed it. But now, with Kahlan by her side and looking at Sarah, the thought of dying terrified her more than she dared to admit even to herself. Nodding slightly to acknowledge Kahlan's words, Cara squeezed the brunette's hand one more time and followed Kahlan to sit back by the fire.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Cara asked Sarah as she sat beside the girl.

Sarah just nodded and sniffled, kissing Alys' head as Kahlan took the blonde child in her arms and sat down on Sarah's other side. With one last look at Alys, Sarah turned to face Cara with eyes full of sorrow.

"You and I were there when Farkas shoved Alys into the portal," Sarah started, her unfocused gaze shifting to the fire as she recalled what had happened. "We were walking through the halls of the Wizard's Keep when we heard muffled noises coming from a chamber," she paused for a second and glanced at Cara. "You told me to wait for you while you went to check on it, but I only waited for five seconds before I followed you," she confessed and shrugged apologetically, making Cara nod encouragingly for her to continue. "When I turned a corner I heard you scream Alys's name and ran towards the sound. I saw when you were about to pass the threshold of the door…" her voice stated to quiver again. "Three arrows came out of nowhere and carved into you," Sarah sobbed, relieving her mother's death making the pain almost unbearable.

Cara pulled Sarah against her side into a comforting hug, letting the girl calm down a little before continuing. Lifting her eyes to Kahlan she could see the shimmering tear tracks on the Confessor's apparently calm face as Kahlan repeatedly stroked her daughter's golden hair. Shifting her eyes to Zedd, Cara noticed the pursed lips that often were a sign of the wizard being in deep thought about something. And Richard… she had to smile inwardly as she also spotted tear tracks on her friend's face; hurt or not, Richard still cared a great deal about her. The blonde turned her attention back to her daughter and Sarah cleared her throat to continue speaking.

"Farkas threw Alys into the portal, following right behind her," Sarah continued and looked back at Cara. "I caught you before you hit the floor… there was so much blood," she shook her head as her eyes glazed with the memory. "You told me to help Alys and that you were proud of me, then you died in my arms," she sobbed again, her voice becoming louder as she got more and more upset. "You just died and left me there. So I did what you asked of me… I just jumped into the portal as it was closing to find Alys and get her home; so that you could be proud of me, because how could you be in that moment? I never saved you, I was too late, I let you die in my arms and all I did was watch you die," she rambled as she sobbed, her desperation at not being able to save her mother clear in every word.

"I'm sure there was nothing you could do," Cara tried to reassure, but Sarah was having none of it.

"We tried before to see if I could give the Breath of Life and I couldn't, but I didn't even try it," Sarah shouted frantically. "I watched you die and I didn't even try to bring you back, I just jumped in the portal before it could close," she explained, shaking Cara's arm as if trying to convey the gravity of it with the gesture.

"You jumped to help Alys," Cara grabbed Sarah's arms and fixed her with her eyes.

"I left you, I didn't try to bring you back.," Sarah repeated, shaking her head. "I have to try now, so what can we do to prevent it?" she desperately asked Zedd.

"I've been here thinking hard about it, my child," Zedd said somberly, his eyes shining from the tears he was holding back. "There's no 'preventing it', because it already happened," he explained, his eyes trying to convey hope he couldn't find anywhere. "We can't avoid Cara's death," he stated sorrowfully.

"No! Think harder!" Sarah stood, her hands balling into tight fists. "There has to be something we can do," she said, gritting her teeth as Zedd shook his head. "I don't care what you say! Whatever it takes and however hard it may seem, I have to try," she insisted defiantly. "I have to," she whispered as a sob broke from her chest.

"You don't understand sweetie," Kahlan said jumped in, trying to calm Sarah. "There're some things we can't mess with," she said in a strangled voice, the thought of doing nothing to prevent Cara's death breaking her, but if Zedd didn't have an answer the hopes of one existing were very low.

"No," Sarah refused to be consoled. "You're the one who doesn't understand," she turned and pointed at Kahlan. "You think you feel bad now?" she asked. "Twenty years from now you'll be _miserable_ after losing your family," she forced out with a sob while pointing at Alys. "And I can't leave you feeling like that, can't you see? I have to help you too," she said sadly, leaving Kahlan speechless.

"Sarah, this is not your weight to bear alone," Richard interjected softly, trying to reassure the girl that she was not alone, although she seemed to think otherwise. "We'll help you and Alys to get back-"

"Will you help me bring my mother back to me?" Sarah interrupted harshly. Richard looked reluctantly at her, his lips pursed helplessly. "Then don't say that you'll help me, because getting home it's not my biggest problem," she shook he head with sadness filling her eyes.

"Kahlan is right child," Zedd affirmed. "There's just some things that, even if we can, we shouldn't mess with," he said under Sarah's piercing gaze.

"You're hiding something from me," Sarah said surely. "What do you know, Zedd?" the teen insisted, her green eyes, even young, pinning Zedd to his seat.

"Zedd," Kahlan said almost in warning, letting the wizard know her powers also had let her know with certainty that he was not sharing the whole truth of his knowledge.

"I suppose there's always ways to bend time to our own liking," Zedd admitted reluctantly, adding quickly as Sarah's eyes lit up. "But those ways are dangerous and often do more damage than good," he warned strictly. "Only someone as mad as Shota would attempt them," he muttered almost to himself.

"Shota?" Sarah frowned, thinking why that name was so familiar.

"The Agaden Reach witch!" Alys jumped up from Kahlan's lap in excitement.

"Agaden Reach," Sarah muttered. "That's in the Rang'Shada Mountains; we can go there," Sarah turned to Cara with a hopeful smile.

"You're talking madness, my child," Zedd reprimanded. "Shota is not to be trusted!"

"But if she knows a way we have to try!" Sarah stubbornly replied to the wizard.

"Sarah," Cara said calmly. "Zedd's right, that woman is a snake," the blonde agreed, watching as Sarah and Alys's face fell.

"I think we all need to cool our heads and rest," Kahlan advised, resting her hands on Sarah's shoulders. "Tomorrow we'll see what we can come up with," she assured the teen, relieved when the young brunette nodded.

"I'll take the first shift," Richard said with a sad smile. "You guys should rest," he added as he walked towards the tree line, squeezing Cara's shoulder in a show of companionship as he passed her and whispering. "We'll find a way," he promised, earning him a grateful nod.

She was still looking at Richard's retreating form as a small body slammed against her legs. Looking down, she found Alys surrounding her legs with her arms and looking up at her with big eyes.

"Can I sleep with you?" the young Confessor asked, making Cara smile.

"I'm still not tired," Cara said as knelt down and continued as Alys pouted, "but I promise I'll lay down next to you when I do feel tired, okay?" she promised and smiled again as Alys nodded with a small smile and went to Sarah's side.

"Go sleep now, baby girl," Kahlan cupped Alys' chin and kissed her daughter's face. "And you too sweetie," she stuck a strand of hair behind Sarah's ear. "You're exhausted, aren't you?" she pointed out as Sarah nodded.

"We're not done talking about this," Sarah warned, looking from Kahlan to Cara and ended up staring at Zedd.

"The light of the day shall illuminate our minds," Zedd agreed in his own way, making Sarah raise one eyebrow but ending up walking to her own bedroll, taking Alys with her.

"You should rest too, Zedd," Kahlan said, noticing the wizard's heavy expression due to the bad news.

"I should," Zedd nodded. "My dear…" he hesitated as he addressed Cara.

"Not holding my breath for miracles, wizard," Cara drawled and crossed her arms, knowing that Zedd wanted to comfort her and oddly enough, she welcomed it even if she wouldn't let him finish.

"You're certainly wiser than I gave you credit for when I first met you," Zedd chuckled lightly and tapped Cara's back amicably as he passed her by.

"Don't hold your breath for a 'thank you' either," Cara shot back and chuckled when all Zedd did was snort and lay down on his bedroll.

Kahlan rested her hands on the Mord'Sith's crossed arms and got closer to the blonde. In the silence of the night, Kahlan looked into Cara's eyes and told her with one look what a thousand words couldn't even began to express.

"We'll save you," she promised, her throat closing from emotion. "I'm not going to loose you," she shook her head in denial.

"I'm here with you now," Cara replied, uncrossing her arms and circling Kahlan's waist to pull the Confessor's shivering body to her. "And I was never afraid of death," Cara added with what she hoped was a serious tone.

"But you are now," Kahlan stated softly as she circled Cara's neck with one arm and stroked the blonde's face with her hand.

"I don't want to lose you either," the Mord'Sith replied with a light shrug. "I don't know what's going to happen in the future," she paused. "Except for my death," she added in an attempt at bad humor, earning a soft glare from Kahlan. "All I know is that I don't want to lose you," she said and kissed Kahlan gently.

Kahlan tightened her hold on Cara and kissed the blonde back with more intensity. She could feel a tear falling down her cheek and smiled into the kiss as she felt Cara's hand come up and swipe the tear away tenderly. Ending the kiss, the Confessor stood for a few moments, just looking into the green orbs she loved so much.

"We still didn't clear up our suspicions about Alys and Sarah," Kahlan said softly, stroking the back of the blonde's neck. "One thing is safe to say, Alys was as upset as Sarah about your…" she trailed off, not comfortable with the subject.

"I noticed too," Cara nodded, caressing Kahlan's back slowly with one hand. "But I guess our questions will have to wait for tomorrow," she said. "When the light of the day shines and fries our brains or whatever the wizard said," Cara reminded, making Kahlan chuckle lightly.

"When the light of the day illuminates our minds," Kahlan corrected with a smile, shaking her head fondly as the blonde rolled her eyes. "I love you," she whispered adoringly.

"I love you too," Cara vowed back as a true smile of happiness reached her lips before she captured Kahlan's into a deep kiss.

Kahlan gave herself to the kiss, letting Cara feel her love with the sweet caress. Kahlan too had no idea what would happen in the future, but right here and now, all she needed to know is that Cara was safe in her arms.

* * *

Zedd was focusing on the books in front of him when he felt a something burn his chest. Alarmed, the wizard pulled at the necklace around his neck and brought out the amulet dangling from the thin golden chain. The amulet – a small orb – was glowing bright red and emitting heat.

"Berdine, quickly, sound the alarm," he commanded to the already moving Mord'Sith. "Farkas is back," he breathed out.

Berdine exited the Wizard's Keep at high speed, reaching the doors she shouted to the nearby guard to sound the alarm. The soldier nodded curtly and immediately picked up a mace from the wall and banged the huge bell that was hanging from a wooden contraption. Only a couple of seconds after the first bang, another similar one was heard closer to the Palace, signifying that the message was spreading. In a matter of minutes the bang of bells could be heard throughout Aydindril.

The deafening sound of the warning bells brought Kahlan to the window of the throne room. Outside, a mass of moving bodies and the sound of hurried steps and clicking metal could be heard as everyone rushed to their positions. Kahlan made a move towards the door, her mind telling her that she had to find Zedd when a body stopped her.

"You won't leave this room, Mother Confessor," Raina warned respectfully, preparing herself for the protests that were sure to follow her advice.

"I can't stay here and do nothing," Kahlan protested as expected. "Who knows what that wizard is up to-"

"Exactly, we don't know what he's up to; so protocol demands that you stay here surrounded by the Home Guard," Raina pointed out. "I have orders to follow, Mother Confessor," Raina raised a knowing eyebrow. "You know what will happen to me if I fail, so please, let me keep you safe and avoid my certain punishment in case you walk through that door," Raina said, managing to get a small smile from Kahlan.

Berdine busted through the door of the throne room without any care, approaching Kahlan quickly with a map in her gloved hand. The Mother Confessor quickly approached the out of breath Mord'Sith and took the piece of paper from her. The map showed all the Midlands; Aydindril proudly designed at the top, a small light clearly visible above it. Kahlan hurriedly discarded that map and looked at the other one, the one that showed Aydindril in more detail; sure enough, the same light could be visible a few yards outside the city walls.

"You know what to do," Kahlan said simply as she looked at Berdine and Raina. The two Mord'Sith hurried to exit the room, not before Raina shouted orders at the Home Guard for them to keep the Mother Confessor safe.

Kahlan watched from her window as the party of guards and Mord'Sith rode as fast as the wind out of the city. After waiting for what felt like a lifetime, she finally saw the search party come back. Noticing that they only had with them what looked like to a peasant man, Kahlan anxiously waited for the Mord'Sith to bring the prisoner to her presence.

The prisoner entered the throne room flanked by two Mord'Sith, who didn't seem to shy away from poking him with their agiels, effectively hurting and unnerving the man. Seeing his red robes, Kahlan immediately recognized him as belonging to the Blood of the Fold. The smirk he had on his lips was already tauntingly showing her that he knew something but wasn't going to tell her. Despite this, she looked questioningly at Raina and when the Mord'Sith shook her head in denial, Kahlan had her confirmation that he didn't tell them anything.

Unfortunately for him, she had her way to discover the truth. Without giving the man a chance to open his mouth and say something that would certainly get him killed, she advanced upon him and closed her hand around his throat. Her blues eyes spiraled into black as she released her power, squeezing his neck with unnecessary force as she felt her power rob him of his free will and leave him a weeping mess on the floor.

"I'm sorry Mistress," he cried. "He made me-"

"Silence," Kahlan ordered, making the man whimper in fear. "Tell me everything you know about Farkas and his intentions," she commanded firmly.

"He came here looking for Sarah. He wanted to know were she was and wanted the book," the shivering man explained. "He wants you dead, Mistress. And I was helping him, I'm so sorry, please forgive me-"

"He wanted to know where Sarah is?" Kahlan's eyes widened in surprise, ignoring his pleas.

The man nodded and was about to launch himself in a new round of apologies when Kahlan cut him off.

"What book are you talking about?" the Mother Confessor demanded.

"It's a magically sealed book where the leader of the Blood of the Fold writes what's going on here in Aydindril," the enslaved man explained. "That way Farkas can come to this time to pick up the information and spend the minimum time here, preventing you from catching him."

"And what was in that book?" Kahlan continued her interrogation.

"I don't know, Mistress," he shook his head desolately, upset that he could not give his Mistress the answers she wants. "I'm only in charge of giving it to him," he said apologetically.

"He's just the delivery man," Raina voiced in frustration, she already suspected it since they had caught him in a small cabin outside the walls.

The Mother Confessor was about to condemn him to death when an angry agiel was viciously thrust against the man's heart. The agiel was held against his chest for a few agonizing moments and only after his voice cracked from screaming did the weapon twist painfully on his chest and stop his heart mercifully.

Kahlan wanted to think that the brief torture the man suffered before he died was a little too much, but the truth was that she couldn't bring herself to do it. She had no agiel to her heart, but the pain she was feeling surpassed that which one a thousand agiels could ever cause her, and for that she couldn't feel anything but loathing for the ones who aided, even in the smallest of ways, in provoking the things that made her heart ache.

"If he didn't know where Sarah was, that means he doesn't have her," Berdine pointed out. "That means she's safe," she added optimistically.

"I really hope she is," Kahlan swallowed hard, running her palm over her forehead in a gesture that was half worry and half relief. "Creator help me, I really hope she is," she breathed out as her chest constricted once again at the lack of news.

* * *

The camp was alive with activity as everyone packed their things to get ready for one more day on the road towards Aydindril. The morning light had brought nothing but a headache to Cara, contrary to Zedd's promises about enlightening. She had spent all night awake, her mind going through new and old information. Cara smiled as she recalled Kahlan's tenacious will of staying awake as long as Cara was awake but after they had both snuggled next to Alys's bedroll, as Cara had promised, and the blonde had stroked Kahlan's long hair repeatedly, the Confessor ended up fast asleep in her lover's arms.

Being the first to pack her bag, Cara walked towards the horses to load them with the extra cargo. As she approached the animals, the Mord'Sith noticed that Sarah was rummaging through the saddle bags, taking out one piece of paper and searching it intently. Looking closely, the blonde identified the paper as being one of Richard's maps. Suspecting what coven hidden deep in the Rang'Shada Mountains Sarah was looking for, Cara approached her daughter and made her presence known.

"What do you think you're doing?" the blonde asked suspiciously, startling Sarah out of her concentration.

"I was just looking at the map," Sarah shrugged. "Curiosity," she justified, meeting Cara's eyes defiantly.

"You know, a Confessor can't read a Mord'Sith," Cara started calmly. "But a Mord'Sith sure can spot another Mord'Sith's bullshit from a mile away," she said, ripping the map from Sarah's hands, knowing perfectly well what the girl was up to.

"What's wrong with you?" Sarah shot back frustratingly. "Don't you want to prevent your own death?" she asked in disbelief.

"I've been dead and I dislike the filth of the Underworld as much as anyone else, but some things, when messed with, do more harm than good," Cara warned, pointedly lifting the map to Sarah's eyes as she pointed to the lines representing the Mountains of Agaden Reach. "If you go to that woman, alone above all, you could get yourself killed," she said sternly, hardening her stare when Sarah rolled her eyes arrogantly. "And don't you dare think you're invincible; because that will only get you killed faster," Cara admonished as she shook Sarah's arm.

"But I have to try," Sarah argued, desperately trying to convince Cara that they should go talk to Shota.

"You _are_ trying," Cara said, once again lifting the map meaningfully. "That doesn't mean I'm stupid enough to let you accomplish it."

"But she could know a way to-"

"To take advantage of your foolish eagerness and grief to gain something," Cara completed before Sarah could, sighing when the brunette frowned and looked away. "Promise me you won't do anything stupid," Cara asked in a softer voice.

"Okay," Sarah muttered, eyes glued to the ground.

"_Look_ at me and promise you won't do anything without consulting one of us first," Cara stressed. "Or else I can guarantee you won't leave my sight for _anything_," the blonde's eyes widening as she started to feel helpless before Sarah's stubbornness.

"I promise," Sarah shouted, meeting Cara's gaze with teary eyes. "Happy now?" she said in a trembling voice, biting her lips to keep from crying.

"I'm a little more at ease," Cara said softly, eyeing Sarah carefully. "We'll figure something out, Sarah," she said reassuringly, cupping the girls chin and brushing the tears away. "But we'll do it the right way, with you alive to see it, okay?"

Sarah hiccupped and buried herself in Cara's familiar arms. Unbeknownst to Cara, Sarah noticed with a sad smile that even if the blonde was twenty years younger and seemed to have an aversion to touch, she still hugged Sarah the exact same way; strongly and affectionately, managing to convey to the distressed girl that she would always be there for her, even when Cara wasn't aware of that herself.

Kahlan looked at Cara and Sarah and smiled as she helped Alys to get up on her horse. She couldn't deny that she loved to see this side of the blonde, a side the tough Mord'Sith rarely showed and that both girls seemed to bring out. She shared a smile with Zedd and Richard, both men also noticing the way Cara was with Sarah. Richard was about to make a teasing comment to lighten the mood when a rustling sound was heard.

Everyone stood at attention and turned towards the sound. Sure enough, a group of rotten bodies could be seen emerging from behind the trees.

"Banelings," Cara cursed as she let go of Sarah and readied her agiels.

"These disgusting things just keep coming," Sarah commented as she reached behind her back for her own agiels.

"Oh, hello there murderer," one of the banelings spoke right at Sarah. "Your mother asked me to say 'hi'," he smirked tauntingly as the color drained from Sarah's face at the image of her mother in the Underworld.

But before anyone could utter a word or make a move, an arrow pierced the banelings throat.

"Like she would ever _ask_," Alys quipped and winked at Sarah as the brunette looked back, reloading the crossbow she had found strapped to the horse.

Sarah chuckled and sent a mental thanks to Alys; the little girl had managed to fill Sarah with confidence and the strength needed to not let her enemies get to her and fight them to the ground instead. As she charged against the banelings, she saw from the corner of her eye as everyone except Alys joined her in the fight. But she had to grin when she spotted the young Confessor expertly shooting arrows from the top of the horse.

As the banelings kept coming, the group had to disperse a little as they carved their victory body by body. Cara killed the last one facing her and looked over her shoulder to see Kahlan at her back, fighting the last of her opponents as Zedd scorched his way through the last of the undead. Cara looked frantically around to find Richard protecting Sarah's back; but her eyes widened in fear as she witnessed a baneling disarm Sarah. The man was massive and quickly pinned Sarah to the ground; but before Cara could scream to get Richard's attention, the young Mord'Sith somehow managed to reach for the baneling's throat and flip them over.

* * *

"Do you know where Farkas is?" Sarah asked with rage, coughing as her chest was still recovering from having a giant man pinning her to the ground.

"No, Mistress," the baneling said shakily, but before he could utter another word Sarah plunged her agiel in his heart, killing him in seconds.

"Useless," Sarah spat, as she noticed Richard behind her. "He didn't know anything," she got up and turned to walk away.

"He called you 'Mistress'," Richard pointed out pensively, making Sarah stop in her tracks.

"I'm Mord'Sith," Sarah stated simply while she turned around to face Richard. "What else would he call me?" she reasoned and forced herself to hold Richard's curious look.

"Right," the Seeker relented after a brief intense moment that seemed to last longer than it actually did. "Mistress Sarah," he nodded slowly, his keen eyes never stopping searching Sarah's face.

The teen just nodded curtly and hurriedly turned away without a glance back, but she did feel the Seeker's eyes burning on her back.

* * *

After making sure every baneling was dead, Alys slid down the horse, happy that she could help this time, and ran towards her mother. But suddenly a chill went down her spine and she looked up to see a similar expression of worry and doubt cross Cara's face. The child turned around to pinpoint what was causing this unsettling sensation.

"Something's wron-"

A metal snap could be heard as a Rada'Han, seemingly coming from thin air, was placed around Alys's throat and forcedly shut up the girl.

"Alys!" Kahlan screamed and ran towards her daughter, but Cara's hand on her arm stopped her.

"I knew I had felt magic," Cara said through gritted teeth while a knife pointed at Alys's throat materialized in front of them, followed by a laughing Farkas.

"Well, well," Farkas snarled. "We finally meet, Mother Confessor," he spat as he menacingly tightened his hold on Alys.

Kahlan froze as she finally faced the man who wanted to kill her. Looking right into the wizard's eyes, she could see she was dealing with a mad man and she had to tread very carefuly, or the one suffering would be the innocent little girl currently at the mercy of Farkas's knife.


End file.
